1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2“How long till you put an end to
words?
Gain
understanding, and afterward we will speak.
3Why are we counted as beasts,
And
regarded as stupid in your sight?
4You who tear yourself in anger,
Shall the
earth be forsaken for you?
Or shall
the rock be removed from its place?
5“The light of the wicked indeed
goes out,
And the
flame of his fire does not shine.
6The light is dark in his tent,
And his
lamp beside him is put out.
7The steps of his strength are
shortened,
And his own
counsel casts him down.
8For he is cast into a net by his
own feet,
And he
walks into a snare.
9The net takes him by the heel,
And a snare
lays hold of him.
10A noose is hidden for him on the
ground,
And a trap
for him in the road.
11Terrors frighten him on every side,
And drive
him to his feet.
12His strength is starved,
And
destruction is ready at his side.
13It devours patches of his skin;
The
firstborn of death devours his limbs.
14He is uprooted from the shelter of
his tent,
And they
parade him before the king of terrors.
15They dwell in his tent who are none
of his;
Brimstone
is scattered on his dwelling.
16His roots are dried out below,
And his
branch withers above.
17The memory of him perishes from the
earth,
And he has
no name among the renowned.
18He is driven from light into
darkness,
And chased
out of the world.
19He has neither son nor posterity
among his people,
Nor any
remaining in his dwellings.
20Those in the west are astonished at
his day,
As those in
the east are frightened.
21Surely such are the dwellings of
the wicked,
And this is
the place of him who does not know God.”
Preamble: Bildad now responds to Job by even strengthening his denunciations of the wicked man, and thus Job. Now this will be Bildad’s strongest denunciation of Job, even going so for as to say of Job that he does not know God!
Commentary
Vs.
1-2
1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2“How long till you put an end to
words?
Gain understanding,
and afterward we will speak.
Bildad’s impatience with Job now peaks as he aggressively sets into his rebuking of Job, telling him to put an end to his words and gain understanding (and thus agree with them) rather than question the “justice” of his own suffering. But Job’s suffering is not a matter of justice, as his friends continually and so wrongly assume and assert. Rather it a matter between God in heaven and Satan on earth to bring about change not only to Job. but also too his friends.
Vs. 3-4 3Why are we counted as beasts,
And
regarded as stupid in your sight?
4You who tear yourself in anger,
Shall the
earth be forsaken for you?
Or shall
the rock be removed from its place?
Bildad now expresses his deep annoyance with Job for having belittled them (vs. 3) however Job did not do that as he express it here. Bildad then looks down on Job with some real cruelty no mocking him as one who tears himself in his anger. Now remember Job’s body is covered in boils which scab over and then break open when he moves himself; thus Bildad by really disdains and disregards Job in his affliction, for to him it is proof of Job's guilt. Bildad then (like his friends) once again refuses to accept that there is any validity in Job questioning all that is happening to him, indeed Bildad's understanding of the wicked mans plight he believes as being established long ago with the earth. Thus, in Bildad’s eyes should they then change their understanding simply because Job is now questioning it? Verses five to twenty one then will be his reiterating his beliefs on the wicked mans just plight and sufferings.
Vs. 5-6 5“The light of the wicked indeed goes out,
And the
flame of his fire does not shine.
6The light is dark in his tent,
And his
lamp beside him is put out.
All of Job’s words about darkness and despair (of feeling so hopeless) once again find their rebuttal with another strong rebuke. Bildad then is unrelenting in his assessment of Job’s plight, saying that “The light of the wicked indeed goes out, and the flame of his fire does not shine”, that “The light is dark in his tent, and his lamp beside him is put out.” This though is not applicable to Job and thus if not to him others as well.
Vs. 7-10 7The steps of his strength are shortened,
And his own
counsel casts him down.
8For he is cast into a net by his
own feet,
And he
walks into a snare.
9The net takes him by the heel,
And a snare
lays hold of him.
10A noose is hidden for him on the
ground,
And a trap
for him in the road.
Bildad now accuses Job of being the author of his own demise, basically saying that his lifestyle and his own counsel have brought about his own ruin (vs. 7); which can be true for some, but this is not true in Job’s case. He then goes on to make it seem like every step the wicked take in this life is only marked by a trap or snare that is then laid before them to take them away (vs. 8-10). This though is not true as many wicked people prosper and are at ease in this life.
Vs. 11 “Terrors frighten him on every side,
And drive
him to his feet.”
Previously Job pleaded with God not to frighten him any longer (Job 7:14; Job 13:25); which was something that Satan was doing to him, not God; and so now Bildad takes up on Job's previous plea and uses it against him as more "evidence" against him, as more evidence of his assessment of Job as having been wicked.
Vs. 12-13 12His strength is starved,
And
destruction is ready at his side.
13It devours patches of his skin; The
firstborn of death devours his limbs.
From Job's tormented mind, to now Job’s ravished body, even it becomes the object of Bildad’s wrath and scorn, for when he looks at Job all Bildad sees is a man being devoured by his own sins and transgressions, none of which is true of Job. And even if it were true, how does that then justify his speaking to him like that?
Vs. 14-15 14He is uprooted from the shelter of his tent,
And they
parade him before the king of terrors.
15They dwell in his tent who are none
of his;
Brimstone
is scattered on his dwelling.
Job's being cast out is now most coldly used against him by Bildad who takes great liberties in describing Job's looses and ruin. Now describing him as only being paraded before the king of terrors (which is the closest reference to Satan in this book by Job and his friends). And so that the wicked are uprooted from homes and that they are then paraded before the “king of terrors” is just another denunciation of Job. Thus, Job’s losing his dwelling place and suffering great horrors at the hand of Satan is now portrayed as an act of "justice", that God Himself has put him out of his home, and He will now turn it over to others.
Vs. 16-21 16His roots are dried out below,
And his
branch withers above.
17The memory of him perishes from the
earth,
And he has
no name among the renowned.
18He is driven from light into
darkness,
And chased
out of the world.
19He has neither son nor posterity
among his people,
Nor any
remaining in his dwellings.
20Those in the west are astonished at
his day,
As those in
the east are frightened.
21Surely such are the dwellings of
the wicked,
And this is
the place of him who does not know God.”
Bildad not content with that, now goes on to describe Job’s loss of health and vitality as that of the roots and branches of a dying tree, that cannot regenerate itself, that there is no hope for it (vs. 16). He then says that the memory of him (i.e. the wicked man) will soon perish from the earth and he will never be named among the renowned (vs. 17). Seems plausible until you consider some of this worlds wicked leaders down through the ages whose names and legacies have long survived them. Bildad then goes onto to say that the wicked man is driven from light into darkness, before he is chased out of the world (vs. 18). Bildad then goes onto say that God will leave him no legacy, no children to live on after him, nor will anyone remain in his dwellings (vs. 19). People then from all over are astonished at him and frightened by what they see happing to him (vs. 20). Now as good as all of this may sound when not applied to Job, this simply is not case with every wicked person everywhere and everyplace in this world. Bildad then concludes his denunciation of Job by saying: “Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, And this is the place of him who does not know God.” Vs. 21
Bildad's final statement though is the most serious, for to denounce a man whose whole life was dedicated to fearing God, and whose behavior was called blameless by Him, as one who does not know God is a very serious matter! Something that you cannot justify to God.
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.
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