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Commentary on Job 25 verses 1–6
Bildad is to be commended here for two things: - 1. For speaking no more on the subject about which Job and he differed. Perhaps he began to think Job was in the right, and then it was justice to say no more concerning it, as one that contended for truth, not for victory, and therefore, for the finding of truth, would be content to lose the victory; or, if he still thought himself in the right, yet he knew when he had said enough, and would not wrangle endlessly for the last word. Perhaps indeed one reason why he and the rest of them let fall this debate was because they perceived that Job and they did not differ so much in opinion as they thought: they owned that wicked people might prosper a while, and Job owned they would be destroyed at last; how little then was the difference! If disputants would understand one another better, perhaps they would find themselves nearer one another than they imagined. 2. For speaking so well on the matter about which Job and he were agreed. If we would all get our hearts filled with awful thoughts of God and humble thoughts of ourselves, we should not be so apt as we are to fall out about matters of doubtful disputation, which are trifling or intricate.
Two ways Bildad takes here to exalt God and abase man: -
I. He shows how glorious God is, and thence infers how guilty and impure man is before him, Job 25:2-4. Let us see then,
1.What great things are here said of God, designed to possess Job with a reverence of him, and to check his reflections upon him and upon his dealings with him: (1.) God is the sovereign Lord of all, and with him is terrible majesty. Dominion and fear are with him, Job 25:2. He that gave being has an incontestable authority to give laws, and can enforce the laws he gives. He that made all has a right to dispose of all according to his own will, with an absolute sovereignty. Whatever he will do he does, and may do; and none can say unto him, What doest thou? or Why doest thou so? Dan 4:35. His having dominion (or being Dominus - Lord) bespeaks him both owner and ruler of all the creatures. They are all his, and they are all under his direction and at his disposal. Hence it follows that he is to be feared (that is, reverenced and obeyed), that he is feared by all that know him (the seraphim cover their faces before him), and that, first or last, all will be made to fear him. Men's dominion is often despicable, often despised, but God is always terrible. (2.) The glorious inhabitants of the upper world are all perfectly observant of him and entirely acquiesce in his will: He maketh peace in his high places. He enjoys himself in a perfect tranquillity. The holy angels never quarrel with him, nor with one another, but entirely acquiesce in his will, and unanimously execute it without murmuring or disputing. Thus the will of God is done in heaven; and thus we pray that it may be done by us and others on earth. The sun, moon, and stars, keep their courses, and never clash with one another: nay, even in this lower region, which is often disturbed with storms and tempests, yet when God pleases he commands peace, by making the storm a calm, Psa 107:29; Psa 65:7. Observe, The high places are his high places; for the heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's (Psa 115:16) in a peculiar manner. Peace is God's work; where it is made it is he that makes it, Isa 57:19. In heaven there is perfect peace; for there is perfect holiness, and there is God, who is love. (3.) He is a God of irresistible power: Is there any number of his armies? Job 25:3. The greatness and power of princes are judged of by their armies. God is not only himself almighty, but he has numberless numbers of armies at his beck and disposal, - standing armies that are never disbanded, - regular troops, and well disciplined, that are never to seek, never at a loss, that never mutiny, - veteran troops, that have been long in his service, - victorious troops, that never failed of success nor were ever foiled. All the creatures are his hosts, angels especially. He is Lord of all, Lord of hosts. He has numberless armies, and yet makes peace. He could make war upon us, but is willing to be at peace with us; and even the heavenly hosts were sent to proclaim peace on earth and good will towards men, Luk 2:14. (4.) His providence extends itself to all: Upon whom does not his light arise? The light of the sun is communicated to all parts of the world, and, take the year round, to all equally. See Psa 19:6. That is a faint resemblance of the universal cognizance and care God takes of the whole creation, Mat 5:45. All are under the light of his knowledge and are naked and open before him. All partake of the light of his goodness: it seems especially to be meant of that. He is good to all; the earth is full of his goodness. He is Deus optimus - God, the best of beings, as well as maximus - the greatest: he has power to destroy; but his pleasure is to show mercy. All the creatures live upon his bounty.
2.What low things are here said of man, and very truly and justly (Job 25:4): How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean? Man is not only mean, but vile, not only earthly, but filthy; he cannot be justified, he cannot be clean, (1.) In comparison with God. Man's righteousness and holiness, at the best, are nothing to God's, Psa 89:6. (2.) In debate with God. He that will quarrel with the word and providence of God must unavoidably go by the worst. God will be justified, and then man will be condemned, Psa 51:4; Rom 3:4. There is no error in God's judgment, and therefore there lies no exception against it, nor appeal from it. (3.) In the sight of God. If God is so great and glorious, how can man, who is guilty and impure, appear before him? Note, [1.] Man, by reason of his actual transgressions, is obnoxious to God's justice and cannot in himself be justified before him: he can neither plead Not guilty, nor plead any merit of his own to balance or extenuate his guilt. The scripture has concluded all under sin. [2.] Man, by reason of his original corruption, as he is born of a woman, is odious to God's holiness, and cannot be clean in his sight. God sees his impurity, and it is certain that by it he is rendered utterly unfit for communion and fellowship with God in grace here and for the vision and fruition of him in glory hereafter. We have need therefore to be born again of water and of the Holy Ghost, and to be bathed again and again in the blood of Christ, that fountain opened.
II. He shows how dark and defective even the heavenly bodies are in the sight of God, and in comparison with him, and thence infers how little, and mean, and worthless, man is. 1. The lights of heaven, though beauteous creatures, are before God as clods of earth (Job 25:5): Behold even to the moon, walking in brightness, and the stars, those glorious lamps of heaven, which the heathen were so charmed with the lustre of that they worshipped them - yet, in God's sight, in comparison with him, they shine not, they are not pure; they have no glory, by reason of the glory which excelleth, as a candle, though it burn, yet does not shine when it is set in the clear light of the sun. The glory of God, shining in his providences, eclipses the glory of the brightest creatures, Isa 24:23. The moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Sion. The heavenly bodies are often clouded; we plainly see spots in the moon, and, with the help of glasses, may sometimes discern spots upon the sun too: but God sees spots in them that we do not see. How durst Job then so confidently appeal to God, who would discover that amiss in him which he was not aware of in himself? 2. The children of men, though noble creatures, are before God but as worms of the earth (Job 25:6): How much less does man shine in honour, how much less is he pure in righteousness that is a worm, and the son of man, whoever he be, that is a worm! - a vermin (so some), not only mean and despicable, but noxious and detestable; a mite (so others), the smallest animal, which cannot be discerned with the naked eye, but through a magnifying glass. Such a thing is man. (1.) So mean, and little, and inconsiderable, in comparison with God and with the holy angels: so worthless and despicable, having his original in corruption, and hastening to corruption. What little reason has man to be proud, and what great reason to be humble! (2.) So weak and impotent, and so easily crushed, and therefore a very unequal match for Almighty God. Shall man be such a fool as to contend with his Maker, who can tread him to pieces more easily than we can a worm? (3.) So sordid and filthy. Man is not pure for he is a worm, hatched in putrefaction, and therefore odious to God. Let us therefore wonder at God's condescension in taking such worms as we are into covenant and communion with himself, especially at the condescension of the Son of God, in emptying himself so far as to say, I am a worm, and no man, Psa 22:6.
Since he said, “You have not visited these yet,” truly Bildad answers, “There is no respite for robbers.” Therefore, he says the opposite of what happens, because there is respite. But in order to play a trick on Job, he speaks in this way. “How then can a mortal be righteous before God?” Indeed, he is necessarily punished. Since Job, in fact, said, I wanted to be judged, and, even though I have not sinned, I am chastised. Bildad replied there is none that is righteous among humankind. How is it possible, he says, that any righteous person will ever exist? Therefore you desire in vain to be judged and examined.
21. This verse is spoken above by blessed Job, and is now repeated in the upbraiding of him; since every just man is just by illumination from God, not by comparison with God. For man’s righteousness when compared with the Maker is unrighteousness, since, even although man had held fast in his own estate of creation, the creature could never be equalled to the Creator. To which creature howsoever, unto heavier burthens of deficiency, there accrued sin also, which the serpent by plotting brought in, and woman proving frail recommended. Hence now, forasmuch as man is born by the agency of woman who is made subject to sin, the frailty of the first guilt is inherited in the offspring; and because the branch of the human race was made rotten in the root, it does not hold up in the greenness of its creation. Hence it is rightly said now, Can a man be justified being compared with God? or can he be found clean that is born of a woman? As if it were expressed in plain terms, ‘Let not man entertain pride against his Creator, let him reflect whence he came hither, and understand what he is.’ But observe, there are those that when by the gift of the Spirit they are holpen against the frailty of their flesh, are made to erect themselves, gleam forth in virtues, yea, flash out in the marvels of miraculous signs as well, yet is there no man who may pass through life free from sin, so long as he bears upon him flesh of corruption.
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SUMMARY
Job 25:4, delivered as part of Bildad's final and remarkably brief speech, poses two profound rhetorical questions: "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean [that is] born of a woman?" These inquiries encapsulate the perennial theological dilemma of human sinfulness and the absolute, unapproachable holiness of God. They challenge the very possibility of fallen humanity achieving righteousness or purity in the sight of a perfect Creator. Although articulated within the limited and often flawed theological framework of Job's friends, this verse powerfully expresses a fundamental truth about the vast chasm between God's transcendent nature and humanity's inherent, fallen condition, thereby setting the stage for the ultimate biblical answer to the problem of sin and justification.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 25:4 primarily employs a Rhetorical Question. Both clauses are framed as questions not intended to elicit a direct answer, but rather to assert a self-evident truth: that it is impossible for a human being to be justified or clean before God on their own merits. This device powerfully emphasizes the speaker's conviction and aims to overwhelm the listener with the apparent futility of the human situation. There is also a strong element of Contrast at play, juxtaposing the absolute, unblemished holiness and power of God (as described in the preceding verses of Bildad's speech) with the inherent frailty, impurity, and sinfulness of humanity. The phrase "born of a woman" functions as a Synecdoche, where a part (being born of a woman) represents the whole (the entire human condition, including its fallen nature and universal sinfulness).
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
While Bildad's application of these truths to Job was flawed and insensitive, the questions he raises are profoundly significant and resonate throughout the entirety of Scripture. The Old Testament consistently portrays humanity as inherently fallen and separated from God by sin, a reality highlighted by the sacrificial system and the Law, which exposed sin but could not ultimately remove it or provide true justification. This verse encapsulates the foundational problem that the entire biblical narrative seeks to address: how can a holy God relate to sinful humanity? It points to the universal need for a divine solution, foreshadowing the New Testament's revelation of God's gracious provision for reconciliation.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 25:4 serves as a stark, humbling reminder of our universal human condition. It confronts us with the sobering truth that, by our own efforts, we can never achieve the righteousness or purity necessary to stand blameless before a perfectly holy God. This realization should cultivate a profound sense of humility and dependence, stripping away any illusion of self-sufficiency or merit-based salvation. It compels us to acknowledge the vastness of God's holiness and the depth of our own need for His grace. Far from leading to despair, this understanding is the essential prerequisite for truly appreciating the magnitude of God's love and the glorious provision He has made for our justification and cleansing. It shifts our focus from what we can do to what God has already done, inviting us into a posture of grateful reception rather than striving.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "born of a woman" specifically imply in this context?
Answer: In Job 25:4, the phrase "born of a woman" is a common biblical idiom that emphasizes the inherent frailty, mortality, and universal human condition. It signifies that every human being, by virtue of their birth, shares in the fallen nature of humanity. It implies an inherited state of imperfection and impurity, rather than referring to merely individual acts of sin. Bildad uses it to underscore that from the very moment of existence, humanity is set apart from God's absolute purity. This concept aligns with other biblical passages that speak of humanity's sinfulness from conception, such as Psalm 51:5 and the New Testament's teaching that we are by nature "children of wrath" as seen in Ephesians 2:3.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 25:4, though spoken by a flawed human with an incomplete understanding of God's redemptive plan, poses the fundamental question that the Gospel definitively answers. The Old Testament consistently presents the problem: "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean [that is] born of a woman?" The New Testament reveals the divine solution in Jesus Christ. He is the one who, though truly "born of a woman" (Galatians 4:4), was uniquely without sin, perfectly fulfilling all righteousness required by God's holy law (Matthew 3:15). Through His atoning death on the cross, Jesus bore the impurity and sin of humanity, becoming the ultimate sacrifice that cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7). God's answer to the question of justification is found in Christ's perfect obedience and sacrificial death, whereby He imputes His righteousness to all who believe, declaring them righteous in His sight (Romans 3:21-26). Thus, what was impossible for humanity to achieve on its own is freely given by God's grace through faith in the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), making us clean and justified before Him.