Job

CHAPTER 25

Bildad’s Third Speech. 1^* Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

2Dominion and dread are his

who brings about harmony in his heavens.

3Is there any numbering of his troops?^*

Yet on which of them does his light not rise?

4How can anyone be in the right against God,^a

or how can any born of woman be innocent?

5Even the moon is not bright

and the stars are not clean in his eyes.

6How much less a human being, who is but a worm,

a mortal, who is only a maggot?^b

* [25:1] At this point any structure in the dialogues disappears. Bildad’s speech is very short, and there follow two speeches attributed to Job, with significantly different introductions in 27:1 and 29:1, and with no intervening third speech of Zophar.

* [25:3] His troops: the heavenly host, or army, the stars (cf. Jgs 5:20), later understood as angels.

a. [25:4] Jb 4:17; 9:2; 35:2.

b. [25:6] Jb 4:19; 15:16.