Job’s final words provide a more satisfying response to the theophany than his earlier non-speech in 40:3–5. There Job essentially refused to say anything more than he had uttered in the dialogue section. We were left with no clue as to how the appearance of God had affected or changed him. Job is now apparently ready to say his piece in response to God, suggesting that the poetic discourses are reaching their conclusion.

42:1 Then Job replied to the LORD. The introduction to Job’s response employs the formula characteristic of the theophany section and relates back to the conversation between God and the Satan in the prose prologue. The fact that in this case there is no divine query inviting Job’s response (as there was in 40:1–2) is probably significant. On the one hand, Job supplies a…