# patience of Job

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/patience-of-job
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A great amount of patience.

## Examples

- You need the patience of Job to teach a toddler.
- The teacher had the patience of Job while explaining the same math problem to the class for the fifth time.
- 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.

## Origin

A reference to the biblical figure Job from the Book of Job, who is recorded as having maintained his faith and patience with God while enduring a sequence of severe trials. The figure's endurance was such that his name became synonymous with the quality itself, a linguistic development that allowed his suffering to be cited with clinical brevity. The expression entered English through translations of James 5:11, which rendered the Koine Greek phrase ὑπομονὴν Ἰὼβ (hupomonḕn Iṑb) as the patience of Job. The phrasing has remained fixed in the language since these early translations, ensuring that while the specific nature of the trials may be forgotten, the namesake of the ordeal is not.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.