Job 2: Skin for Skin
A second test strikes Job's own body, his wife urges him to curse God and die, and three friends come to sit with him in silence.
Job 2 (WEB)
1 Again, on the day when the God’s sons came to present themselves before Yahweh, Satan came also among them to present himself before Yahweh.
2 Yahweh said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered Yahweh, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
3 Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.”
4 Satan answered Yahweh, and said, “Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
5 But stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face.”
6 Yahweh said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of Yahweh, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head.
8 He took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes.
9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die.”
10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job didn’t sin with his lips.
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.
12 When they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and didn’t recognize him, they raised their voices, and wept; and they each tore his robe, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward the sky.
13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
Job 2 (KJV)
1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.
2 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
Job 2 (ASV)
1 Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah.
2 And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
3 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4 And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5 But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face.
6 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.
7 So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.
12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
Summary
The heavenly court convenes again, and again God points to Job, who still holds fast his integrity even though he has been ruined without cause. Satan presses his case further: a man will give all he has for his own life, so let God touch Job's flesh and bone. God permits this second test, only sparing Job's life, and Satan strikes Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. Job sits among the ashes, scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery. His wife, herself crushed by all they have lost, urges him to abandon his integrity, to curse God and die. But Job answers that we cannot receive only good from God's hand and not also adversity, and in all this he does not sin with his lips. Word of Job's calamity reaches three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—who come together to sympathize and comfort him. So disfigured is Job that they barely recognize him; they weep, tear their robes, sprinkle dust on their heads, and sit with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, saying nothing, for they see his grief is very great.
Key Figures
- Job — The sufferer now struck in his own body, who refuses to curse God and accepts adversity as well as good from the hand of the Lord.
- Job's wife — A grieving woman, herself bereaved, who urges Job to give up his integrity and curse God and die.
- Satan — The accuser who claims Job will break if his own flesh is touched, and is permitted to afflict him while his life is spared.
- Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar — Job's three friends who travel to mourn with him, weep at his condition, and sit silently beside him for seven days.
Key Verse
Job 2:10 (WEB)
But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job didn’t sin with his lips.
Lessons Learned
- Faithfulness is tested not only in the loss of things but in the breaking of the body.
- Those closest to us may, in their own pain, urge us away from God rather than toward him.
- A heart shaped by God receives both prosperity and adversity from his hand.
- Sometimes the most comforting thing we can offer a sufferer is our silent presence.
- Integrity holds even when health fails. God testifies that Job “still maintains his integrity” (Job 2:3, WEB) even as he sits scraping his sores among the ashes.
- Suffering tempts us to curse God. Job's wife says, “Renounce God, and die” (Job 2:9, WEB), giving voice to the despair that adversity can stir even in those we love.
- We receive God's hand in all seasons. “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10, WEB). Job submits to God's right to ordain both.
- Presence comforts more than words. The friends “sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word” (Job 2:13, WEB), and in their silence they are at their best.
- How does the second test differ from the first, and why might attacking Job's body raise the stakes?
- How do you understand Job's wife's words? Is she only faithless, or also grieving?
- What does Job's reply in verse 10 reveal about how he understands God's sovereignty over hardship?
- Why might the friends' seven days of silence be described as their finest moment?
- Who in your life is suffering right now, and what would it look like to simply sit with them?
- The first test stripped Job's possessions and children; the second strikes “his bone and his flesh” (2:5), covering him with sores from head to foot (2:7). Satan's logic is that a man will surrender everything to save his own skin (2:4). The escalation tests whether Job's faith survives personal, physical agony.
- Job's wife has lost the same ten children and all the same wealth, and now watches her husband waste away. Her cry, “Renounce God, and die” (2:9), is born of unbearable grief. Job calls her words foolish (2:10), but invite the group to read her with compassion rather than contempt.
- Job refuses to treat God as obligated to give only good (2:10). He accepts that the same sovereign hand that blessed him may also ordain adversity, and so he does not sin with his lips. His theology is bigger than a simple reward-and-punishment scheme.
- Before they open their mouths to accuse, the friends do the truly comforting thing: they come, weep, and sit in silence for a week (2:11-13). The book will show how much harm their words do later, making this wordless presence shine as genuine compassion.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage members to think of someone in grief and to consider the ministry of presence over advice. As leader, model gentleness, and note that sometimes love is shown by showing up and staying quiet.