Was Job short-changed in the end?

Question

The LXX and Masoretic Text (MT) disagree concerning the number of oxen and donkeys which Job once owned; however, both the LXX and MT are mathematically consistent in that Job received double from the LORD for everything that he once possessed.

My question however is posed regarding his children. Both the LXX and MT include the children in the catalog of Job's fortunes with the animals. However, while all the animals are restored two-fold, the children are not. Instead of 20 children, he is restored with only the original amount of 10 children (7 sons and 3 daughters).

Why was there the two-fold restoration of animals, but not of people? Was Job short-changed in the end?

_{(source: jobchildren28 at sites.google.com)}

Please note the following passage, which indicates that the Lord restored the fortunes of Job "two-fold," which means double.

Job 42:10 (NASB)
¹⁰ The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.

The Hebrew word for "two-fold" is מִשְׁנֶה, and the noun means to second, or double. That is, the Lord DOUBLED the fortunes of Job, but everything listed among his former assets were doubled except his children, which are Job's most important assets as any parent would attest(?). (For example, he was sacrificing his animals to ensure the well-being of his children in Job 1:5.) Was Job therefore short-changed? Why was he given the two-fold blessing of animals, but not of children?

Answer 1

It is commonly believed that Job's original 10 children are in Heaven.

The texts do say that Job received a "twice as much", and that he had "more":

Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job 42:12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:

Since all the material items were doubled, it is only natural to wonder why Job had exactly as many "new" children as he had had "old" children.

As far as I know it is near universal among Christians to assume Job was blessed in that all of his original children were preserved in Heaven, and that he could look forward to the day when he would be together with all 20 of his children. Job himself shows he believes he will have life long in the future, and would logically expect his children to be there too. (Thanks, @Joseph, for pointing this out)

In Job 19:25-27, he seeks comfort in future restoration. "I know" -- confidence -- "though after my skin worms destroy this body" -- Job has died at this point, but "in my flesh shall I see God:" -- Job will be alive, and with a body. And Job is sure it will really be himself who sees. In the "latter days", thanks to "my redeemer", Job expects to be reunited with his family. Here are a couple more comments by Christians:

Some have wondered why God did not give Job twenty children, fourteen sons and six daughters. I offer two answers: First, the thought of giving birth to twenty children might have been all Job's wife needed again to tempt her spouse to curse God and die! But my simplest and best answer is that God did double Job's family-ten were already alive in heaven. Our family and friends who die in Christ are separated from us for just a little while. They are with Christ and they are enjoying eternal blessings far greater than anything they have known upon this sin-sick world.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_donald/job/whirlwind10.cfm

After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored Job to his former prosperity and gave him double all that he had lost. (Job 42:10) Job had seven more sons and three daughters. This is the same as before and implies that he would see his others in heaven as well! God does everything well!

http://www.bibletrektoday.com/2009/06/03/restoration-of-job/

Answer 2

I mean, maybe I'm thinking this in too much of modern terms, but if God doubled his children, and he doubled his richest, wouldn't that have put him back in the same place he was?

If I double my income, but double the amount of kids I have, it's almost like I didn't double my income. If I double my income, but keep the same amount of kids I have, I can give a better quality of life to those kids I already have.

Answer 3

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.
⁴ And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. ⁵ And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
-- Job 1:3-5 KJV

Job had cattle, a very great household, and children. The cattle are enumerated and the "quality" of his children is recorded, so that at the end of the story it can be seen that God is a being of his word.

The children Job had at the beginning were wastrels. They took turns feasting and drinking, and after they did so Job was compelled to sacrifice on their behalf, because he was concerned they had cursed God in their hearts.

The children Job had at the end, where MORE THAN TWICE the blessing of his original children.

¹³ He had also seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. ¹⁵ And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
-- Job 42:13-15 KJV

Surely, it would be a mistake to weigh things in terms of numbers only. Particularly in regard to people.

Answer 4

In the first part of Job it never mentions that any of his ten children were married and had children of their own. At the end of Job he has ten more children, but these children grow older and have families of their own and Job is able to see even his great, great, grandchildren. I believe this is the doubling.

Answer 5

God restored to Job double everything the devil took.But not his children because, the devil didn’take them God did. Job never lost those 10 children.Because when God takes something you never lose it because you know where it is

Answer 6

Since God allowed Satan to attack Job maybe the messenger who told job all was lost was Satan (he often tells us things that are not true so we can turn from God) but Job was such a man of integrity he didn’t know that Satan was the deliver of the lies and when Job kept his faith in God his land his children and his health was given back to him he continued to live and kept being blessed by God

Answer 7

At Job 14:14, Job speaks of having to sleep in the grave until God calls out his name and brings him back to life. He was sure that the first 10 would come back the same way, then the other 10 making 20 kids. All of them and Job living forever on the earth, just as God had said to Adam before he ate of the fruit!

Answer 8

THE END OF JOB...here's the stretch= a generation (period of time) is a thousand years. 4 generation plus 140=4,140=11.5x360. Job's end was twice his beginning; 14k sheep, 6k camels, 1k yoke (x2=2k total) of oxen, 1k she asses=23k animals. 23/2=11.5 His beginning was half his ending...11.5!

PAUL's shipwreck...14 days of fasting 276 souls...the next day rescued! 15x276=4,140=11.5x360.

Lazarus. 15 furlongs=15x40rods=600. The foot measurement changed by 10% for furlong of 660. Or if you are walking around your furrow a half circumference (length+width=600+60=660). Jesus went 660 to Judea and returned 660. He went again 660. That's 660*3=1980. He remained still for 2, and Lazarus was dead for 4=6x360=2,160. 1980+2,160=4,140.

Cana Wedding... A firkin=162. 6 pots x 3 x 162=2,916. 8x153=1,224. 2,916+1,224=4,140. The wedding supper has wine and meat/bread.

11.5 years from when? The day God spoke to Noah.

And just for fun...Noah was born in 1,056. 1,056x(e)squared=2,021+5,781.

Answer 9

Job had 10 children and the 10 children died. Then he had 10 more children, so in the hereafter Job will have 20 children--doubled.

Answer 10

Perhaps maybe the messengers that came to Job were liars sent by Satan to test Job. Its easier to imagine the messengers are liars then truth bearers given who is doing the test. Job would experience the death and resurrection of all his children based solely on what he believed. The fact that Job was being lied to would make sense of how Job still has ten children at the end of the story and also of how Job had twice as much then at the beginning. Jobs friends and family restored to Job what they all thought he lost; add that to what he originally had at the beginning it would add up to twice as much. As for the children of Job once he discovers it was all a lie and his children are still alive, from his experience it would be like having all his children twice; after once believing he lost them. So in the end Job was tested without really loosing his children or blessings.

Answer 11

Malbim on 42:13 quotes an interpretation by Nachmanides that Job’s children were not actually killed: they were merely hidden away, and he was told they’d died. In addition to answering Why did God allow satan to take lives just to prove that Job is loyal?, this suggests a that children are not included in “all that Job had” (42:10) to be doubled.

Answer 12

1. That of Job is a moral story, but a fictional story. As such we shouldn’t expect it to be realistic in all its details.
2. It is true that Job’s 10 children are counted with the animals, but while the latter are doubled, that the children are the same number as they were before indicates that human beings are irreplaceable.