Daughters of Job
English artist and printer William Blake produced a large series of artwork focused on the story of Job, and this is one of his earlier paintings. Later he created a collected of nineteen watercolors illustrating the entire story. In this painting, Job is shown at the end of his journey with his three daughters, spreading his arms over them in what appears to be a blessing. Blake focused on the spiritual journey that Job experienced, and behind him in this painting are murals representing earlier parts of his story. Some have connected Job's outstretched arms in this work as symbolizing the crucifixion of Christ, a common theme in his artwork. Scripture introduces us to Job's daughters in the epilogue of the text, in Job 42:13-15. After Job's devasting experience and his enduring faithfulness, the Lord blessed the later part of his life even further than before and gave him more children.
"And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Karen-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were found three women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers."
Whenever women are named in Scripture, especially in connection with inheritance, we should pay close attention. The seven sons remain nameless as in the beginning of the account, and the fact that Job provides them land as an inheritance means the sons would have recieved a lesser portion than expected. Job has transformed through his experience, and he does away with patriachal norms in a matter unthinkable at his time.