very meaningful to God’s people down through the ages—especially meaningful to those believers who could not understand why they had to suffer agonizing loss, pain, and affliction. b. If the historical setting was any era other than the Wisdom Era, the author’s interest in suffering was probably personal. Either he or someone he cared for very deeply was bearing the heavy weight of agonizing pain or a severe crisis. Wanting to help all he could, he shared what he knew about suffering, knowing that