The
Book of Job (; Hebrew: אִיוֹב
Iyov) is one of the Writings (
Ketuvim) of the
Hebrew Bible, and the first poetic book in the Christian
Old Testament. Addressing the theme of
God's justice in the face of human suffering – or more simply, "Why do the righteous suffer?" – it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives. It has been widely and often extravagantly praised for its literary qualities, with
Alfred, Lord Tennyson calling it "the greatest poem of ancient and modern times".