King James Bible
"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."
The opening introduces Job and locates him in Uz, likely a region east of Israel associated with Edom or northern Arabia. This geographical placement outside Israel suggests Job may be a non-Israelite, presenting a universal story about human suffering rather than one limited to God's covenant people. These paired terms describe Job's moral integrity—'perfect' (tam) meaning complete or blameless in character, while 'upright' (yashar) indicates straight or righteous conduct. Together they establish Job as morally exemplary, not sinlessly perfect but genuinely wholehearted in his devotion. The verse culminates with Job's spiritual orientation: his reverent fear of God paired with deliberate avoidance of evil. This combination reveals the source and expression of his righteousness—his piety flows from genuine reverence, making him the ideal test case for the book's exploration of disinterested righteousness.