"There lived in the land of Uz a man of blameless and upright life named Job, who feared God and set his face against wrongdoing. He had seven sons and three daughters; and he owned 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 asses, with a large number of slaves. Thus Job was the greatest man in all the east."
We are embarrassed that Thomas Jefferson, the author of the declaration of independence, was a slave owner. No ancient Hebrew was embarrassed that Job was a slave owner. They thought it a sign of God's favour to have many slaves. Of course, we have as much trouble today upholding our values as did our ancestors, but standards today are higher than they were then. No ancient commentary on the suffering of Job's wife, his slaves and herdsman, or his children has come down to us. Modern readers, however, feel sympathy and empathy for their suffering. Our values today have advanced and improved.
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