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New Studies in Biblical Theology #12
Now My Eyes Have Seen You: Images of Creation and Evil in the Book of Job
'Now my eyes have seen you." (Job 42:5) Few biblical texts are more daunting, and yet more fascinating, than the book of Job—and few have been the subject of such diverse interpretation. For Robert Fyall, the mystery of God's ways and the appalling evil and suffering in the world are at the heart of Job's significant contribution to the canon of Scripture. This New Studies in Biblical Theology volume offers a holistic reading of Job, with particular reference to its depiction of creation and evil, and finds significant clues to its meaning in the striking imagery it uses. Fyall takes seriously the literary and artistic integrity of the book of Job, as well as its theological profundity. He concludes that it is not so much about suffering per se as about creation, providence and knowing God, and how—n the crucible of suffering—these are to be understood. He encourages us to listen to this remarkable literature, to be moved by it, and to see its progress from shrieking protest to repentence and vision. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2002
15 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Robert S. Fyall
12 books1 followerRobert Fyall is Senior Tutor in Ministry for the Cornhill Training Course (Scotland). Formerly director of Rutherford House, a research, training and publishing center in Scotland for church leaders, he also taught Old Testament at St. John's College in Durham, England, in addition to pastoring a church there.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 25, 2023
It’s difficult to judge a book that was written for an audience of which it is so painfully obvious you are not a part. There are some really fascinating themes and concepts, but this study is clearly written for someone with substantially more background in the Hebrew language, Old Testament Studies, and Ancient Near East Mythology. I don’t regret reading this book (or at least reading the words on the page at times), but it’s not one that I would go about recommending due to a very high entry level; a level at which I stumbled through more often than not.
A key insight was that Job is not a book about suffering per se, but rather a book about Creation, Providence, and the Knowledge of God; and how the crucible of suffering illumines these things.
A key insight was that Job is not a book about suffering per se, but rather a book about Creation, Providence, and the Knowledge of God; and how the crucible of suffering illumines these things.
April 8, 2013
This was a frustrating book to read because the author's arguments were at time hard to follow, at least in the details. He would often use transliterated Hebrew (which is neither Hebrew or English), yet he wouldn't indicate what that word meant. All he needed to do was put a parenthetical translation. This type of thing occurred often. He also makes a lot of references to Canaanite myths, or other Ancient Near Eastern literature, without describing things in detail. In other words, the author assumes the reader knows Hebrew and these non-biblical stories. If he had been clearer with these details (adding some pages to the book), it would have been much better.
The big take away of the book is this: though Satan ostensibly disappears from view after the first two chapters of Job, he is represented a number of ways throughout the text. The author argues that Behemoth represents Mot, the god of death, and that Leviathan represents Satan. Therefore, in God's second speech, he is telling Job that he has created both death and Satan, and they are not beyond his control.
Because of these interesting insights, the book is worth reading, particularly for anyone wanting a deeper grasp of the book of Job.
The big take away of the book is this: though Satan ostensibly disappears from view after the first two chapters of Job, he is represented a number of ways throughout the text. The author argues that Behemoth represents Mot, the god of death, and that Leviathan represents Satan. Therefore, in God's second speech, he is telling Job that he has created both death and Satan, and they are not beyond his control.
Because of these interesting insights, the book is worth reading, particularly for anyone wanting a deeper grasp of the book of Job.
March 24, 2022
Fyall's main theses are good and well-argued. He's most helpful when discussing the overall structure and themes of Job. His detailed argumentation sometimes involves verbal and poetic connections that I think are a bit tenuous. Still, his poetic sense is valuable as an interpreter of ancient poetry.
Regarding Leviathan (the reason I picked this book up in the first place) he makes many of the same mistakes as other scholars, interpreting Leviathan as a primeval antagonist against Yahweh -- though he also argues that Leviathan is Satan himself. I'm not of the opinion that these two ideas belong together, but the tension was not apparent to the author.
Regarding Leviathan (the reason I picked this book up in the first place) he makes many of the same mistakes as other scholars, interpreting Leviathan as a primeval antagonist against Yahweh -- though he also argues that Leviathan is Satan himself. I'm not of the opinion that these two ideas belong together, but the tension was not apparent to the author.
April 6, 2018
a good read for any preacher who is considering preaching through Job.
February 3, 2018
This is a detailed study of Job by a learned scholar. As a book, however, it is unsuitable for a novice layman. The arguments, while well laid out, are substantiated by untranslated hebrew references.
I may return to it in my spare time.
I may return to it in my spare time.
May 29, 2017
You can read my full review at my blog, Spoiled Milks (5/26/17)
Robert Fyall has done much work for us by focusing on the images of creation and evil in the book of Job, with a particular emphasis on God's divine council, Satan, and the place of Behemoth and Leviathan. He approaches the book of Job with humility so that he, and those he teaches, will not be like Job's three friends who did not speak what was right about the Lord (Jb 42.7-8). In this study Fyall believes that Yahweh's divine speeches (38-41) ought to control how we read the book, he draws numerous comparisons to the rest of the OT to draw out the theology of creation and evil, and he argues for the unity of Job.
According to Fyall, we can see the unity of Job in three ways: structurally, thematically, and theologically. Structurally, the narrative and poetry portions of Job can not stand on their own. Thematically, some try to separate the “patient” Job from the “angry” Job, but to separate the patient from the angry is to miss out on the mixed emotions of a real person. Theologically, the divine council is the controlling theme of the book, as Satan’s role in Job 1–2 is bound together with various references to him and his workings in the preceding chapters. This is especially so in Job 41 where, as Fyall argues, the Leviathan is unmasked as being Satan himself.
This brings us into one of the main points of the book. Who or what is the Behemoth and the Leviathan? Fyall, using intertextuality and Canaanite and Mesopotamian myths, argues that Behemoth represents Mot, the god of death, and Leviathan is Satan. Throughout the book of Job, Job believes that God is against him (6.4, “For the arrows of the Almighty are in me”), when in fact it is Satan himself who is allowed to terrorize Job. Fyall says that “to say that Leviathan has characteristics of the crocodile and the whale is not to say that it is such a creature, but rather to suggest that evil is rooted in the natural world” (27).
While I don’t think Fyall provides a slam-dunk argument, I do generally agree with him, as many of his hooks to other passages in Job seem to guide us into seeing that these two beastly animals are something more than just a crocodile/whale or a hippopotamus, and I recognize that, as Fyall himself admits, his conclusions are based on cumulative evidence, and that is what he presents: a lot of evidence. His arguments can be a bit vague and difficult to follow.
I also have a hard time seeing how the divine council is the controlling theme of Job. Surely, it’s important, but was it really because of Job’s partial knowledge of the divine council and his “continual awareness of a cosmic and supernatural dimension to his sorrows” that God announced Job’s spoke rightly of him (148; Jb 42.7–8)? I find it difficult to accept this, though I don’t want to understate the importance of the divine council in Job.
Recommended?
Those points aside, Fyall does a great service in his book by helping us get a better grasp of Job and his theology through the angle of creation and evil. I think his points should be wrestled with, and, even if you don’t agree with him, his book is especially helpful for those who are studying and will be teaching through Job. There is more to this book (and to Job) than chapters 40–41. throughout his book, Fyall doesn’t eschew Jesus, but instead keeps him in sight. He is the Redeemer (Jb 19.25) we look forward to seeing (42.5) on the other side of life.
Disclosure: I received this book free from IVP Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.
Robert Fyall has done much work for us by focusing on the images of creation and evil in the book of Job, with a particular emphasis on God's divine council, Satan, and the place of Behemoth and Leviathan. He approaches the book of Job with humility so that he, and those he teaches, will not be like Job's three friends who did not speak what was right about the Lord (Jb 42.7-8). In this study Fyall believes that Yahweh's divine speeches (38-41) ought to control how we read the book, he draws numerous comparisons to the rest of the OT to draw out the theology of creation and evil, and he argues for the unity of Job.
According to Fyall, we can see the unity of Job in three ways: structurally, thematically, and theologically. Structurally, the narrative and poetry portions of Job can not stand on their own. Thematically, some try to separate the “patient” Job from the “angry” Job, but to separate the patient from the angry is to miss out on the mixed emotions of a real person. Theologically, the divine council is the controlling theme of the book, as Satan’s role in Job 1–2 is bound together with various references to him and his workings in the preceding chapters. This is especially so in Job 41 where, as Fyall argues, the Leviathan is unmasked as being Satan himself.
This brings us into one of the main points of the book. Who or what is the Behemoth and the Leviathan? Fyall, using intertextuality and Canaanite and Mesopotamian myths, argues that Behemoth represents Mot, the god of death, and Leviathan is Satan. Throughout the book of Job, Job believes that God is against him (6.4, “For the arrows of the Almighty are in me”), when in fact it is Satan himself who is allowed to terrorize Job. Fyall says that “to say that Leviathan has characteristics of the crocodile and the whale is not to say that it is such a creature, but rather to suggest that evil is rooted in the natural world” (27).
While I don’t think Fyall provides a slam-dunk argument, I do generally agree with him, as many of his hooks to other passages in Job seem to guide us into seeing that these two beastly animals are something more than just a crocodile/whale or a hippopotamus, and I recognize that, as Fyall himself admits, his conclusions are based on cumulative evidence, and that is what he presents: a lot of evidence. His arguments can be a bit vague and difficult to follow.
I also have a hard time seeing how the divine council is the controlling theme of Job. Surely, it’s important, but was it really because of Job’s partial knowledge of the divine council and his “continual awareness of a cosmic and supernatural dimension to his sorrows” that God announced Job’s spoke rightly of him (148; Jb 42.7–8)? I find it difficult to accept this, though I don’t want to understate the importance of the divine council in Job.
Recommended?
Those points aside, Fyall does a great service in his book by helping us get a better grasp of Job and his theology through the angle of creation and evil. I think his points should be wrestled with, and, even if you don’t agree with him, his book is especially helpful for those who are studying and will be teaching through Job. There is more to this book (and to Job) than chapters 40–41. throughout his book, Fyall doesn’t eschew Jesus, but instead keeps him in sight. He is the Redeemer (Jb 19.25) we look forward to seeing (42.5) on the other side of life.
Disclosure: I received this book free from IVP Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.
September 20, 2021
I have been fascinated and have read widely on the book of Job for many years. Without hesitation, I would say that this is the best book on Job I have ever read. It is scholarly, detailed, and entirely credible. The author treats the elements of the supernatural evil within the book of Job with respect and great detail. I have read so many commentaries on Job (scholarly and popular) and found them, apart from small portions, to be profoundly disappointing because they invariably approach the book with a modern western/enlightenment mindset that has little or no cognizance of the spirit world -often rationalizing away supernatural or spiritual elements with naturalistic interpretations. Invariably these other authors end up sounding like Job's friends in their description of God and make me wonder if they understand the book at all! Fyall is one of the few authors I have read so far that recognizes the thread of "the satan" through the narrative of Job and articulates a theology that is convincing. The book is well referenced with footnotes so that it is possible to trace references and threads of thought. If you want to understand Job, IMO, this is the book to get.
August 7, 2019
The wide-ranging, impressive New Studies in Biblical Theology (NSBT) series here jumps into the Book of Job. Perhaps the editorship of D. A. Carson keeps this series running at a high pace, but in any event, I’ve seen this book by Robert S. Fyall often favorably mentioned. The author understands that Job has been subjected to widely differing interpretations. Fyall sees creation and evil as the key to understanding Job.
You may not agree with his total outlook, but the book’s value stands out most of all in its ability to highlight the masterful Hebrew poetry involved while also doing detailed exegesis on several passages that bring to light the key thinking behind the book of Job. What he has to say about the Behemoth and Leviathan was certainly new territory for me. I couldn’t agree with all his conclusions, but they are worth wrestling with. Make sure you take in his concluding chapter on “the vision glorious” as he ties together much of the detail he collects throughout the book.
There’s not a dud in this series and this book has caught the eye of all who write on Job. You had better check it out!
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
You may not agree with his total outlook, but the book’s value stands out most of all in its ability to highlight the masterful Hebrew poetry involved while also doing detailed exegesis on several passages that bring to light the key thinking behind the book of Job. What he has to say about the Behemoth and Leviathan was certainly new territory for me. I couldn’t agree with all his conclusions, but they are worth wrestling with. Make sure you take in his concluding chapter on “the vision glorious” as he ties together much of the detail he collects throughout the book.
There’s not a dud in this series and this book has caught the eye of all who write on Job. You had better check it out!
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
January 19, 2026
This was my second time through this book. It has modest aims, and I think it accomplishes them. Fyall is fairly persuasive of his main points, especially about Behemoth being Death and Leviathan Satan.
Fyall doesn't claim to be engaged in theodicy, so it's unfair to judge him strictly here, but when he does address the topic his arguments are rather shallow. He makes much of Job 9:24c ("If it is not he, then who is it?") in order to separate God from Job's suffering. Fyall says this is arguably the most important verse in Job, and views God's answer as something like "It wasn't me, but Leviathan/Satan." But because God created and controls Satan, this doesn't make much sense as an answer. It also doesn't seem to be how God is presenting the matter in places like Job 2:3. With Job scholarship so consistently bad on this topic, I wish Fyall would've been stronger here.
Very good for interactions w Ugaritic textual parallels/allusions though. That's what Fyall is most interested in, and the book is worth reading for his treatment of the relevant Canaanite mythology.
Fyall doesn't claim to be engaged in theodicy, so it's unfair to judge him strictly here, but when he does address the topic his arguments are rather shallow. He makes much of Job 9:24c ("If it is not he, then who is it?") in order to separate God from Job's suffering. Fyall says this is arguably the most important verse in Job, and views God's answer as something like "It wasn't me, but Leviathan/Satan." But because God created and controls Satan, this doesn't make much sense as an answer. It also doesn't seem to be how God is presenting the matter in places like Job 2:3. With Job scholarship so consistently bad on this topic, I wish Fyall would've been stronger here.
Very good for interactions w Ugaritic textual parallels/allusions though. That's what Fyall is most interested in, and the book is worth reading for his treatment of the relevant Canaanite mythology.
June 16, 2020
I had lots of hopes with this book. But it was very bogged down, technical, and over all relatively unhelpful. It read more like a PhD dissertation--which has its place, but for your average reader, this book misses the mark. One needs to have a fairly substantial bibliography on Job (and more broadly wisdom literature) to appreciate the intricate details and detailed exegesis/interpretation of Fyall's argument. But the book also left me wondering to what end Fyall was writing this. He made many detailed and almost poetic observations, but it appears much of the work was to prove a relatively simple and non-applicable thesis. For those who want to understand the structure, themes, approachability, canonical place, existential dealings of Job, this book doesn't seem worthwhile.
June 27, 2021
I honestly love NSBT series but this book failed completely at its task. There was no biblically theology until the very end. The author should have just written a commentary on job and not called this a biblical theology.
Though I doubt this is the authors fault but I hate I mean hate transliteration. Why not just give the actually Hebrew text or just use the English don’t give me this other hogwash. Ahh sorry I felt lost almost the whole time reading this book and I actually know Hebrew somewhat well.
Sorry this was a bust for me.
Though I doubt this is the authors fault but I hate I mean hate transliteration. Why not just give the actually Hebrew text or just use the English don’t give me this other hogwash. Ahh sorry I felt lost almost the whole time reading this book and I actually know Hebrew somewhat well.
Sorry this was a bust for me.
May 24, 2023
This is a wonderful book, full of insights especially for those interested in seeing how the book of Job contains artistry, imagery and connections with (and commentary on!) Canaanite myths. Fyall's work is very similar to Tolkien's work in "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics." Where Tolkien emphasizes the significance of the dragon who kills the protagonist, Fyall points to the many ways Satan is afflicting Job on all sides. Yes, there are technical details, but this is a study, not a collection of sermons, and worth the perseverance through the heavier sections.
December 19, 2023
Fyall's book is a fascinating look at creation and evil in Job. One of his big arguments is that Leviathan represents Satan, and he argues this very well. He returns over and over to the ideas of creation and evil, showing where they are present and taking an in-depth look at some of the passages in Job that most lend themselves to these themes. While this is not a commentary on Job, it is a very good book on Job that should be read by all those who want a better understanding of this difficult book of the Bible.
April 17, 2021
This book was much more argument-based for the most part, with a lot of Hebrew text and references to Canaanite mythology. This made me feel at times that I was only getting a portion of what I could be out of it, but overall the arguments and perspective of interpreting the poetry of Job was really fascinating, and honestly really encouraging to think on. I'm going to be thinking on these themes for a while and bringing them along with me as I continue to read God's Word.
November 23, 2022
I've enjoyed & been helped by every book I've read in this series.
This book is technical in places & is geared towards more academic folks. Still a spiritually enriching read and helpful to me as I've sought to preach through Job.
I think the author could've spent more time highlighting our response of humility/fear of the Lord but I guess that wasn't really in the scope of this work.
I'd highly recommend
This book is technical in places & is geared towards more academic folks. Still a spiritually enriching read and helpful to me as I've sought to preach through Job.
I think the author could've spent more time highlighting our response of humility/fear of the Lord but I guess that wasn't really in the scope of this work.
I'd highly recommend
July 8, 2023
I would give 3.5/5 if I could do that here. Fyall’s big conclusions are compelling and helpful, though certain specifics of his argumentation (e.g., reliance on ANE extrabiblical sources) are not convincing or necessary. I would have liked to see greater engagement with textual connections beyond word studies. However, this book is a significant study that deserves appreciative and serious attention. I will be returning to it.
November 22, 2019
Interested in what Leviathan and Behemoth are in Job? Look here. Author makes a compelling argument based on comparative ancient mythology that Leviathan and Behemoth are mythic creatures symbolizing death and chaos and are being used by Job as images of Satan.
September 11, 2023
Now My Eyes Have Seen You sheds a new light on the book of Job for me. There is beauty and poetry I never before noticed. Even though I was absorbed in both Job and Fyall’s books, what I learned was worth it.
July 19, 2022
An exposition on the book of Job. Not all the book, but more on the problem of evil and suffering.
June 9, 2023
Helpful. I wish I would have read it through before starting to preach through Job.
October 17, 2017
Confusing. This would have made (hopefully and with much editing) an interesting article, but as a 208 page book it's a flop. See Brain Watson's excellent review for more.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews