# Job 21 General Notes

### Structure and formatting

The ULB sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. This chapter is Job's response to Zophar. It is also a response to all three of his friends in general.

### Special concepts in this chapter

#### Ancestor's sin
In the ancient Near East, it was common to believe that a person could be punished because of the sins of their fathers and ancestors. It was seen as the punishment of a god. While a father's sin may have consequences for their children, Yahweh does not punish people because of their father's sin. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/believe]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit]])

### Important figures of speech in this chapter

#### Rhetorical questions
Job uses many different rhetorical questions in this chapter in order to try to convince Zophar that he is wrong. These questions help to build Job's argument. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion]])

## Links:

* __[Job 21:1 Notes](./01.md)__

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