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Job 25

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God's Absolute Dominion 1–3

1
Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, ​
2
Dominion and fear are with him; He maketh peace in his high places. ​
3
Is there any number of his armies? And upon whom doth not his light arise?

The Impurity of Humanity 4–6

4
How then can man be just with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? ​
5
Behold, even the moon hath no brightness, And the stars are not pure in his sight: ​
6
How much less man, that is a worm! And the son of man, that is a worm! ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Job 25

Verse 1

Bildad the Shuhite — His third and last speech (after 8:1 and 18:1), six verses long and the shortest any of the three friends gives. Zophar makes no third speech, and Job replies in chapters 26–31. The Shuhite is named once more at 42:9, where he and his two companions go and do as the LORD commanded.

Verse 2

Dominion and fear — Mashal, to rule, and pachad, dread. The 'high places' are marom, the height where the LORD dwells: 'The LORD on high is mightier' (Ps 93:4). Bildad pictures peace kept there by his rule; Paul says Christ's cross made peace for 'things in earth, or things in heaven' (Col 1:20).

Verse 4

born of a woman — Bildad repeats what Eliphaz asked (4:17; 15:14) and what Job asked first, 'how should man be just with God?' (9:2). 'Justified' is tsadaq, to be in the right before a judge; 'clean' is zakah, pure. Job had used 'born of a woman' of man's short, troubled life (14:1).

Verse 5

the moon, and it shineth not — 'Shineth' is ahal, to be bright, a verb found in this verse alone. 'Pure' is zakak, clean. Eliphaz had said the same of the heavens: 'the heavens are not clean in his sight' (15:15). Eliphaz had also set the stars against God's height: 'behold the height of the stars, how high they are!' (22:12).

Verse 6

a worm — Two words: rimmah, the maggot of decay, and tola', the grub. Job used rimmah of his own flesh (7:5) and of those who lie down in the dust (21:26). The same tola' stands in 'I am a worm, and no man' (Ps 22:6) and in 'Fear not, thou worm Jacob… I will help thee' (Isa 41:14).