ENGLISH
REFERENCE

patience of Job

idiom
Meaning

A great amount of patience.


Origin

disputed origin

A reference to the biblical figure of Job from the Book of Job, where he demonstrated faith and patience with God while suffering many severe trials. First used in the translations of James 5:11, from Koine Greek ὑπομονὴν Ἰὼβ (hupomonḕn Iṑb).

Examples
SIMPLE

You need the patience of Job to teach a toddler.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher had the patience of Job while explaining the same math problem to the class for the fifth time.

COMPLEX

Only a mentor with the patience of Job could endure the constant mistakes and lack of progress shown by the new apprentice over the last year.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    don't give up your day job

    Somewhat sarcastic but usually good-natured advice used to criticise a person's degree of talent (especially in music or other performing arts), implying that they are unlikely to be successful.

  2. 02

    full-time job

    An activity that consumes a great deal of time.

  3. 03

    good job

    Well done; congratulations!

  4. 04

    great job

    well done; congratulations! (a praise for someone's efforts, possibly to a higher degree than good job!)

  5. 05

    inside job

    A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the assistance of someone either having a relationship with a victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.

  6. 06

    joe job

    An uninteresting, low-level, low-paying job.

  7. 07

    outside job

    A crime or other illicit action committed by an individual not connected or associated with the premises or organization in which it took place.

  8. 08

    patience of a saint

    Synonym of patience of an angel.

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