Bava Batra 15B

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Text Excerpt

אימא: כמשעה שנכנסו ישראל למצרים, ועד [שעה] שיצאו.

The Talmud answers: Say that the baraita means that the duration of Job’s life lasted as long as from when Israel entered Egypt until when they left, but not that he lived during that specific time frame.

מיתיבי: שבעה נביאים נתנבאו לאומות העולם ⁠– ואלו הן: בלעם ואביו ואיוב, אליפז התימני ובלדד השוחי וצופר הנעמתי ואליהוא בן ברכאל הבוזי! אמר ליה: וליטעמיך, אליהוא בן ברכאל ⁠– לאו מישראל הוה? והא כתיב ״ממשפחת רם״!

The Talmud raises an objection from another baraita against the notion that Job was a Jew: 7 prophets prophesied to the non-Jewish nations, and they are: Balaam and his father Beor, and Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and Elihu ben Barachel the Buzite, which indicates that Job was not Jewish. He said to him: And according to your reasoning that Job could not have been Jewish because he prophesied to the non-Jewish nations, was Elihu ben Barachel not a Jew? Is it not written: “Of the family of Ram” (Job 32:2), meaning Abraham?

אלא אינבוי אינבי לאומות העולם; הכי נמי איוב ⁠– אינבוי אינבי [לאומות העולם]. אטו כולהו נביאי מי לא אינבו לאומות העולם? התם ⁠– עיקר נביאותייהו לישראל, הכא ⁠– עיקר נביאותייהו לאומות העולם.

Rather, one must explain that Elihu is included in this list because he prophesied to the non-Jewish nations; and so too it may be maintained that Job is included in this list, even though he is Jewish, because he prophesied to the non-Jewish nations. The Talmud asks: But did not all the other prophets also prophesy to the non-Jewish nations? Why then are only these 7 mentioned? The Talmud answers: There, with regard to the other prophets, their main prophecies were directed to Israel, whereas here, with regard to these 7 prophets, their main prophecies were directed to the non-Jewish nations.

Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.