King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
It shall devour the strength of his skin: [even] the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.
Complete Jewish Bible:
disease eats away at his skin; the first stages of death devour him gradually.
Berean Standard Bible:
It devours patches of his skin; the firstborn of death devours his limbs.
American Standard Version:
The members of his body shall be devoured, Yea, the first-born of death shall devour his members.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
It shall devour{H398} the strength{H905} of his skin{H5785}: even the firstborn{H1060} of death{H4194} shall devour{H398} his strength{H905}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Isaiah 14:30
- And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
Jonah 2:6
- I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars [was] about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
Revelation 6:8
- And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Zechariah 14:12
- And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
Genesis 49:3
- Reuben, thou [art] my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
Job 17:16
- They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when [our] rest together [is] in the dust.
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Commentary for Job 18:13
The Book of Job is a profound exploration of suffering and faith, and Job 18:13 is a part of Bildad's speech, one of Job's friends who come to comfort him during his severe afflictions. Bildad is a representative of the retributive justice theory, which posits that good is rewarded and evil is punished, often in this life. In the historical context, this belief was common in the ancient Near East and is reflected in much of the wisdom literature of the time.
In Job 18:13, Bildad uses vivid imagery to describe the fate of the wicked, suggesting that calamity will consume the very vitality of the wicked person's body. The phrase "the strength of his skin" implies a total destruction that penetrates to the outermost defenses of a person, leaving nothing untouched. The "firstborn of death" is a poetic way of speaking about the most severe and primary consequence of sin, which Bildad believes is death itself. In his view, the wicked can expect nothing less than complete ruin, as death claims its due.
The themes of this verse include the nature of suffering, divine retribution, and the belief that moral order will ultimately prevail. Bildad's words are meant to warn Job that his suffering might be a result of wrongdoing, and that he should repent to avoid further calamity. However, the book as a whole challenges this simplistic understanding of suffering, as Job's afflictions are not a direct result of his sinfulness. Instead, the Book of Job delves into the complexities of human suffering and the mystery of God's ways, questioning the adequacy of human wisdom to comprehend the divine perspective on human pain and misfortune.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H398
There are 825 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָכַל
Transliteration: ʼâkal
Pronunciation: aw-kal'
Description: a primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively); [idiom] at all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up), feed (with), food, [idiom] freely, [idiom] in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, [idiom] quite. - Strong's Number: H905
There are 50 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בַּד
Transliteration: bad
Pronunciation: bad
Description: from בָּדַד; properly, separation; by implication, a part of the body, branch of atree, bar forcarrying; figuratively, chief of a city; especially (with prepositional prefix) as an adverb, apart, only, besides; alone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength. - Strong's Number: H5785
There are 82 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עוֹר
Transliteration: ʻôwr
Pronunciation: ore
Description: from עוּר; skin (as naked); by implication, hide, leather; hide, leather, skin. - Strong's Number: H1060
There are 96 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בְּכוֹר
Transliteration: bᵉkôwr
Pronunciation: bek-ore'
Description: from בָּכַר; firstborn; hence, chief; eldest (son), firstborn(-ling). - Strong's Number: H4194
There are 155 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מָוֶת
Transliteration: mâveth
Pronunciation: maw'-veth
Description: from מוּת; death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin; (be) dead(-ly), death, die(-d).