Mooṣ ( موص ) ≠ ( عوص ) ע֖וּץ
Esau = Uz = ע֖וּץ = عيصو/العيص
There is no typographical error between them; each is an independent name used in a different context.
• Uz (عوص/عيصو) = The name of the land where Job (Ayyub) resided.
• Mooṣ (موص) = The name of Job’s father in the genealogy.
It's like saying: "In the land of Hawiye" – referring to Hawiye son of Irir son of Samaale.
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Al-Mas'udi and Ibn Kathir did not err; rather, they preserved an older Israelite tradition. Both align with the genealogies presented in the Septuagint and the Vulgate, even extending the list of ancestors omitted in current versions of the Hebrew Bible.
In the Hebrew Bible:
• The text does not mention any genealogy for the Prophet Job, only noting his residence in the "land of Uz."
Septuagint (3rd century BCE):
• "Job, the son of Zerah, son of Reuel, son of Esau, son of Isaac, son of Abraham."
Vulgate:
• "Jobab, son of Zerah, son of Reuel, son of Esau."
In Al-Mas'udi's Muruj al-Dhahab :
• "He is Ayyub (Job), son of Moos, son of Zarah, son of Reuel, son of Esau, son of Isaac, son of Abraham."
In Ibn Kathir's Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya:
• "Ibn Ishaq said: He was a man from Rome, and he was Ayyub, son of Moos, son of Zarah, son of Esau, son of Isaac, son of Abraham."
In Al-Tabari's Tafsir:
• "Job, son of Moos, son of Razeh, son of Esau, son of Isaac, son of Abraham."
In Al-Qurtubi's Tafsir:
• Al-Qurtubi conveys the same genealogy and comments that Job is from the descendants of Esau, son of Isaac, and not from the Israelites (as the Israelites are the descendants of Jacob, not Esau).
As for the term Romans (al-Rūm):
Ibn Kathir attributed the Prophet Ayyub (Job) to the Romans, because Esau (عيصو/العيص) is the ancestor of the Semitic Romans.
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However, it's important to distinguish between two types of Romans:
• Semitic Romans, descendants of Esau son of Isaac.
• Japhethite Romans, descended from Japheth son of Noah, including Italian Romans, Byzantines, etc.
Such name similarities are common and can lead to confusion, especially when both groups reside in the same territory.
A similar confusion occurred in Somalia:
Some mistakenly assume that there are two distinct clans named Warsangali — one affiliated with the Hawiye and the other with the Daarood.
This misconception arose because Warsangali is originally the son of Harti son of Koombe. Over time, a group from this lineage migrated to Mogadishu and settled among the Harti clan of Abgaal.
Due to the similarity in names, people began to incorrectly assume that both Harti groups shared the same ancestor, believing that Warsangali was a son of the Abgaal Harti — which is not the case.
Another example is the name Berber:
It refers both to the ancestors of the Somalis in the Horn of Africa, and to the Amazigh people of North Africa – though they are entirely different peoples.
Therefore, when some commentators say that Ayyub (Job) was from the Romans, they most likely mean that he descended from Esau, the forefather of the Semitic Romans.
Ancient historians (Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, and Muslims ...) frequently attributed the origins of cities and nations to legendary figures or divine progenitors, a practice known as eponymous mythmaking.
This approach served to explain the etymology of place names but also gave these places a sense of noble or divine heritage.