Uz, Land of

The land of Uz was the homeland of Job (Job 1:1), situated somewhere east or southeast of Palestine. Its precise location is debated, but the biblical evidence suggests a region bordering on or overlapping with Edom: Lamentations 4:21 addresses the "daughter of Edom that dwellest in the land of Uz," and Jeremiah 25:20 lists the "kings of the land of Uz" alongside kings of Philistia, Edom, Moab, and Ammon, placing it in the Transjordanian or Edomite sphere.

The land of Uz was thus probably located in the region east of the Jordan and the Dead Sea — the territory of northern Arabia or the desert frontier between Edom and the Aramean lands. Its semi-arid, pastoral character fits the description of Job's wealth in flocks and herds, and the Sabeans and Chaldeans who raided his livestock suggest a position along the caravan routes between Arabia and Mesopotamia.