Who wrote the Book of Job?

The Book of Job does not name its author, and Scripture gives no direct answer. Jewish tradition (the Talmud) credits Moses; other traditions have suggested Job himself, Solomon, or Elihu. Its date and authorship remain among the most debated questions in biblical scholarship.

Unlike many Old Testament books, Job is anonymous - the text never identifies who wrote it. Job himself is presented as a historical figure living in the land of Uz, likely in the patriarchal era (his wealth is measured in livestock, he offers his own sacrifices as a family patriarch, and there is no mention of the Law of Moses, Israel, or the Exodus anywhere in the book). The Babylonian Talmud attributes authorship to Moses, reasoning he could have obtained the account during his years in Midian, near the traditional location of Uz. Other suggestions across Jewish and Christian tradition include Solomon (based on stylistic parallels with Proverbs and Ecclesiastes), Elihu, or even Job's own hand. What is clear from the text itself is its literary sophistication - written largely in elevated Hebrew poetry - and its placement among the Old Testament's "Wisdom Literature" alongside Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.

Key Passages

Job introduced as a man of Uz

Job 1:1-3

¹ There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. ² And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. ³ His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.