איוב, פרק מ״ב, פסוק ט״ז

The final chapter of Job's journey culminates in a complete restoration, offering him a new life filled with extraordinary longevity and vast family continuity. God grants him a double portion of everything he lost, marking a distinct era of blessing that follows his profound suffering [מצודת דוד, תקות אנוש].

He is granted a hundred and forty years of life, a number with specific meaning. Since a standard human lifespan is considered to be seventy years, God essentially gives him two full lifetimes, doubling the normal span. These years are entirely new and separate from his previous age, serving as a fresh start after his former life was completely dismantled [רמב״ן, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Noticeably absent from the narrative is any mention of his age before his trials began, or a summary of his total years on earth. This stands in sharp contrast to the detailed records kept for biblical patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These details are intentionally omitted because the goal of the story is not to chronicle his personal lineage or greatness. Rather, the focus is solely on proving that his severe trials were ultimately for his benefit. Additionally, the traditional note that a person was gathered to his people at death is missing, reflecting that he was not part of the ancestral lineage of the Israelites [רמב״ן]. Offering a completely different perspective, another approach suggests that the entire story is an allegory. In this view, the specific details about his age and the years he lived are simply narrative devices used to conceal deeper, mystical truths from the general public [תקות אנוש].

Alongside his long life, he experiences the profound joy of watching his family grow across four generations. He lives to see his descendants multiply, with the special blessing that not a single one of them passes away during his lifetime [מצודת דוד]. While some might try to divide his hundred and forty years by four to conclude that a biblical generation is exactly thirty-five years, this mathematical approach is rejected. The length of a generation changes significantly throughout the biblical texts, making it impossible to establish a fixed formula based on his lifespan [אבן עזרא].