What was the original story of Job before it was translated into Hebrew?

Answer 1

A:The book of Job is believed to have been first written in Hebrew, although parts of the story are believed to have been passed down as oral traditions for centuries before being committed to writing in the form we have today. The name used consistently for God in the story's framework is YHWH (Yahweh or 'Jehovah'), but El Shaddai is used for most of the book's core, indicating two stages of composition.

The Book of Job was probably written, at least in the form we now know, during the Persian period (fifth or fourth century BCE) because of the speculative nature of the book's theology, the presence of Satan as a member of God's heavenly court and the acquaintance of the author with other late Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 40-55. On the other hand, there are theological references so ancient that modern Jews (and Christians) would reject them as paganism if not found in a holy scripture.

The author's familiarity with passages such as that from Isaiah and the Book of Deuteronomy show him to have been a Jew, who would still have written a religious text in Hebrew even if Aramaic was becoming widespread.

Answer 2

The Book of Job was never translated into Hebrew. It was originally written in Hebrew and then translated into many other languages.