Sawtawn (Satan) In Job
Sawtawn
“…the word “Satan” in the original Greek and Hebrew, both in the Old Testament and the New, comes from the same word.”
As I stated earlier, of the 19 times that the word “sawtawn” is transliterated as “Satan,” 14 occur in Job. We will have to read those 14 passages in order to understand who or what caused all of Job’s trouble. In the modern churches, it is common teaching that this fallen angel, this supernatural, angelic being, called “Satan,” was responsible.
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. – Job 1:1-5
We have established at the very beginningthat Job is very wealthy, he has many sons and daughters, and he is aGod-fearing man who praised God for all of his substance and all of his children.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. — Job 1:6
The margin in my Bible, and in many Bibles, actually has the words “the ‘adversary’ came, also, among them,” because it is the same word “sawtawn.” Only here, it is capitalized and written as “Satan.”
And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. – Job 1:7-10
This creature, whoever and whatever he is, says that Job fears God and gives honor to Him because God has blessed him. God has given him all these things and protects him.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. – Job 1:11-12
As you read on you find that Job lost his oxen, asses, sheep, servants, camels, and even his sons and daughters. The churches say this was done by a great, angelic, malevolent, evil, wicked being who tempts and brings evil to all the other people of the earth.
After Job lost everything we read:
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. – Job 1:22
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (sawtawn) came also among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. – Job 2:1-3
So, even after his calamity, Job was still faithful to God. Now, God tells Satan: “See, in spite of everything that happens, Job still fears Me and eschews evil.”
And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yes, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sale of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. – Job 2:4-8
Job was so ill at this point that his wife said:
Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. – Job 2:9
Job’s wife gave up. Job had lost everything that he had. He now was in illness and pain and possibly in fear of his own life. At this point almost all fundamentalists without exception have credited some wicked, angelic being called “Satan” (“sawtawn” in the original Chaldean language) with having done all this to Job. But, perhaps you missed verse three of chapter two where God is speaking and He said of Job: “and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.” Who did the destroying? God said that HE did it.
After these additional calamities occurred and, apparently, after days of conversation with friends who came supposedly to comfort him but who were of no great comfort, Job tells his friends:
How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words? These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me. And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself. If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach: — Job 19:2-5
If you know the Book of Job, you know that these men had been telling Job that he must have sinned. They told Job that something he did was wrong, and that’s why he had suffered all these calamities. So Job rebuked them:
Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net. Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment. He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths. He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree. He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies. His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle. He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. – Job 19:6-13
Who is Job saying caused all of these calamities? Job says that God did it. He is trying to point out to these men that it wasn’t necessarily any sin of his own but, they should understand that God did it. Job says:
Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me. – Job 19:21
In the last chapter of Job, after God has spoken to him, Job answers:
I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be with-holden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not: things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. – Job 42:2-6
Even though Job had rebuked his friends and told them he had not sinned, he said: God, I realize what I am, I realize what You are, You can do all things, therefore, I repent. Then God speaks to the other men:
And it was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. – Job 42:7-8
God says that Job spoke right. He then tells Job’s friends to offer a burnt offering because, as He says in verse eight: “ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.” These men did make an offering because God had told them to, as we see in the next passage:
So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according a the Lord commanded them: the Lord also accepted Job. And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. – Job 42:9-13
Why did God give Job all of these blessings? They were given in order to replace that which God Almighty had taken from Job. The Book of Job is very specific. The people who in the end came to comfort Job realized that everything that had happened to Job had been done by God Almighty.
I haven’t quoted all of Job but I quoted every place where the word “Satan” appears in Job. I defy you to use any part of those references to conclude that “satan” is some sort of an everliving creature who has power almost equal to God.If we take the original meaning of the word we come up with the word “adversary.” This adversary could easily have been nothing more than another son of God, a man of the Adamic race, who came before God with the rest of the men and provoked God to test Job. It was God who brought the calamities. There is no indication that the Satan of Job had any supernatural powers, whatsoever. It was God who did the things which were beyond nature.
We are going to have to believe what Isaiah wrote:
I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. – Isaiah 45:5-7
Sawtawn: Adversary — Not Fallen Angel
What about the word “Satan?” The serpent in Revelation 20 is called by the title “Satan.” That is a little simpler to understand because in every case where the word “Satan” appears in the New Testament, it comes from a Greek word pronounced “satanas.” In the Old Testament, it comes, every time, from the same Hebrew word which is pronounced, “sawtawn.” Here is what Strong’s Concordance says of the Greek word “satanas:”
— Of Chaldean origin, the accuser, or the “devil.”
Strong’s says this of the Hebrew word “sawtawn:”
— Opponent, adversary, Satan. From a slightly different root “sawtan, “ meaning to attack, accuse, to be an adversary, or to resist.
So, the word “Satan” in the original Greek and Hebrew, both in the Old Testament and the New, comes from the same word. It is a word of Chaldean origin which was transliterated by the Hebrews and picked up by the Greeks unchanged. It means “accuser,” “adversary,” “opponent,” or it means “to do what an accuser, adversary or an opponent does.”
Source: “Give The Devil His Due” by Pastor Sheldon Emry (Chapter 2) Audios | Book | Other Writings and Audios
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