What's easy to miss is that Satan is still operating under God's authority, "going out from the presence of the Lord." While Satan inflicts Job's suffering, God's permission is the ultimate gatekeeper, revealing that even the darkest trials are within the scope of divine sovereignty.
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Having been permitted by God to test Job further, Satan leaves the Lord's presence and immediately afflicts Job with intensely painful, loathsome sores covering his entire body. This torment is a direct result of the heavenly council's discussion, designed to break Job's spirit and elicit curses against God. Despite this horrific suffering, Job's wife later tries to push him to curse God, but Job resists, ultimately submitting to God's will even in his extreme distress.
Ever felt like bad things happen without rhyme or reason? Job's story starts in a place of cosmic negotiation, not random chaos.
This verse opens with a crucial phrase: "So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD." This isn't just atmospheric detail; it's theology in action. Even in the midst of Job's horrific suffering, Satan is not acting independently. He departs from God's presence, indicating that his actions are permitted, and therefore, ultimately, under God's sovereign control. God allows Satan to act, but within defined limits. This doesn't lessen the pain Job experiences, but it frames the suffering within a divine framework, reminding us that God is not absent from our pain, even when it feels overwhelming.
Job's suffering wasn't just emotional or spiritual; it was intensely physical, covering him from head to toe. What does this reveal about the nature of his trial?
The description of Job being struck with "loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head" paints a vivid and agonizing picture. This wasn't a minor ailment; it was a total bodily affliction. Scholars suggest it might have been a severe form of leprosy or a similar disease that covered the entire body with painful, festering sores. The intensity and completeness of the physical torment were designed to break Job entirely. By sparing his tongue (as noted in some commentaries), Satan intended for Job's physical agony to fuel his words, hoping for blasphemy against God. This highlights how suffering can become a battlefield for our very words and our faith.
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This passage describes the plague of boils and blains that afflicted the Egyptians, providing a direct Old Testament parallel to the type of painful, loathsome affliction Job endured.
Deuteronomy 28:27Here, the Lord warns of being struck with boils and scurvy, making one loathsome, mirroring the physical torment and social alienation Job experienced through Satan's assault.
Luke 13:16Jesus speaks of a woman bound by Satan for eighteen years, demonstrating that Satan’s power to afflict with physical ailments, with God’s permission, is a recurring theme throughout Scripture.
Acts 5:41This verse notes that the apostles departed from the council, showing a similar phrasing to Satan 'going forth from the presence of the LORD,' highlighting the concept of leaving a divine space to carry out actions.
bensonJob 2:7: "So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown."
Job 2:7 . Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord — Or, from the Lord, απο του Κυριου , as the LXX. render it. Compare Acts 5:41 , They departed, απο προσωπου του συνεδριου , from the presence of the council that is, from the council. And smote Job with sore biles — Ελκει πονηρω , with a foul ulcer, or evil inflammation, say the Seventy; breaking out and s…
pulpitJob 2:7: "So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown."
Verse 7.- So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord (comp. Job 1:12, ad fin.). Satan, we may be sure, is always anxious to quit the immediate presence o
What's easy to miss is that Satan is still operating under God's authority, "going out from the presence of the Lord." While Satan inflicts Job's suffering, God's permission is the ultimate gatekeeper, revealing that even the darkest trials are within the scope of divine sovereignty.
Having been permitted by God to test Job further, Satan leaves the Lord's presence and immediately afflicts Job with intensely painful, loathsome sores covering his entire body. This torment is a direct result of the heavenly council's discussion, designed to break Job's spirit and elicit curses against God. Despite this horrific suffering, Job's wife later tries to push him to curse God, but Job resists, ultimately submitting to God's will even in his extreme distress.
Having been permitted by God to test Job further, Satan leaves the Lord's presence and immediately afflicts Job with intensely painful, loathsome sores covering his entire body. This torment is a direct result of the heavenly council's discussion, designed to break Job's spirit and elicit curses against God. Despite this horrific suffering, Job's wife later tries to push him to curse God, but Job resists, ultimately submitting to God's will even in his extreme distress.
"So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes." — What's easy to miss is that Satan is still operating under God's authority, "going out from the presence of the Lord." While Satan inflicts Job's suffering, God's permission is the ultimate gatekeepe…
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Last reviewed October 2026
