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Originally Posted by Clear Blue Sky
my personal belief is that it was written around the time of the exile into Babylon. So they took the Babylonian stories and adapted them.
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If you believe academics who've written about the story have said the meaning was about the suffering of the people of Israel, so you're correct according to some research done. This has alway been said. The traditional story was not about a man named Job, The character (Job) represented the nation of Israel and the suffering (exile), the man represented the people in exile and so on. Of course this would have needed to be explained, so the question is, was it. Story's were used to pass ideas and message along specific to events but I'm not sure if the story was intended to be cryptic and had been explained to understand it, but the story has been presented as original in what it meant. Nations was more important then people to at that time, where individualism is different today. Concepts were so different, but this is my interpretation from study of those times.
The morale of the story asked why Israel (Job) and it's people must suffer since they were faithful to God. But, the story also gave hope and it was said remain faithful in their struggle. The prevailing view of reward in that historic time are part of the story. Rewards were more down to earth and practical. Reward at that time in what I have read reward was not about heavenly reward, but an earthly one. Also as the story implies a greater one.
There are some books out there to research. Has anyone heard this as to it's meaning. This is also my opportunity to ask if this is correct or something else about the original.