KJV · Chapter 25/42
1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.
3Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?
4How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
5Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.
6How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
Bildad offers his third and shortest speech, poetically reaffirming that God holds total dominion and power, and that no human being can be considered righteous or pure before Him, comparing humanity to a mere worm.
This is the briefest speech in the entire cycle of debates, perhaps suggesting that the friends' arguments are running out as Job persists in defending his innocence. The comparison of humanity to "a worm" and "a maggot" (verse 6) pushes the doctrine of human unworthiness before divine holiness to its extreme — a true theological theme, but one that, applied without nuance to Job's specific situation, again fails to address the real question of why he suffers. Application for today: recognizing God's greatness and human smallness before Him is important, but this truth should not be used to avoid grappling with specific, legitimate questions about justice and suffering.