Acknowledgments
Writing a book requires effort and a sense of purpose, but even so, the final result is a matter of fortuity. In acknowledgment of Jobâs stand that nothing should be taken for granted, I here wish to thank those who have directed my course and made me arrive at this point.
This book is a revised version of my dissertation âBut Man is Born to Trouble â¦: Metaphors in the Discussion on Hope and Consolation in Job 3â31â (2017). The research for my dissertation was carried out as part of the project âDepicting Suffering, Imagining God. The Use of Metaphor in the Conceptualisation of Suffering and of the Divine in the Book of Jobâ which was funded by the Research Council of the KU Leuven.
First of all, I thank Pierre Van Hecke for initiating this project and for providing me with a theme and a theoretical approach. I would not have been analyzing metaphors and writing on suffering in the book of Job, if I were not asked to come to Leuven and assigned to this challenging task. Interpreting metaphors in the book of Job is like solving puzzles within a puzzle, and it takes linguistic and literary explorations to find a way out. I appreciate Pierre for considering my investigations with an open view and for cultivating my findings with sharp, accurate, and critical comments.
Furthermore, I thank my former teachers in Tilburg and Leiden. Besides Pierre, I mention Ellen van Wolde, Holger Gzella and Karel Jongeling. Their originality and creativity has been an example when I was developing my approach to the book of Job. I am happy to have been part of the research unit Biblical Studies at the KU Leuven, and I especially thank Johan de Joode, Jannica de Prenter, Bärry Hartog and Arjen Bakker for their company and friendship. I thank Karel Jongeling and the members of my dissertation committee, Bénédicte Lemmelijn, Eibert Tigchelaar, and Ellen van Wolde, for their remarks and corrections. The typesetters of TAT Zetwerk in Utrecht are the best. I thank my colleagues for efficiently taking care of the production process. I am grateful for having a family that keeps drawing my attention to what matters in life. I thank them for their support and for creating the conditions that have led to the appearance of the present book.