Job 25

Bildad’s Third Speech#sn The third speech of Bildad takes up Job 25, a short section of six verses. It is followed by two speeches from Job; and Zophar does not return with his third. Does this mean that the friends have run out of arguments, and that Job is just getting going? Many scholars note that in chs. 26 and 27 there is material that does not fit Job’s argument. Many have rearranged the material to show that there was a complete cycle of three speeches. In that light, 26:5-14 is viewed as part of Bildad’s speech. Some, however, take Bildad’s speech to be only ch. 25, and make 26:5-14 an interpolated hymn. For all the arguments and suggestions, one should see the introductions and the commentaries.

1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:

2“Dominion and awesome might belong to God; he establishes peace in his heights.

3Can his armies be numbered? On whom does his light not rise?

4How then can a human being be righteous before God? How can one born of a woman be pure?

5If even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure as far as he is concerned,

6how much less a mortal man, who is but a maggot – a son of man, who is only a worm!”