Their memory is obliterated without hope or honor.
Bildad, one of Job’s friends, continues his speech of rebuke with these words: “Memory of him perishes from the earth, And he has no name abroad.” (v.17) Through these words, Bildad insists that the wicked person’s legacy will vanish completely, leaving no enduring footprint. At this stage in the Book of Job—commonly believed to date to the era of the patriarchs (approximately 2100-1800 BC)—Bildad argues that if someone does not honor God, his memory and impact on future generations will fade to nothing. He believes suffering proves guilt, and so he claims that a person who has apparently incited God’s wrath will find no posterity or honor left behind.
When Bildad proclaims “Memory of him perishes from the earth” (v.17), he describes a comprehensive erasure of the wrongdoer’s influence. From his perspective, God’s judgment removes every trace of the offender’s life. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a person’s name and memory were closely tied to their sense of immortality among their descendants and associates. To erase someone’s memory was to remove every sense of identity and inheritance they might have carried. Though Bildad’s argument is harsh and misapplied to Job’s situation, it underscores the weighty notion that, in a moral universe, persistent evildoing culminates in complete moral and historical obscurity. Later in Scripture, the New Testament reminds us that those who turn to God through Christ, regardless of their past, have the assurance of a redeemed legacy (Romans 8:1).
The second half of the verse, “And he has no name abroad” (v.17), reinforces Bildad’s claim that the name of the wicked will not be recognized among the nations. In many ancient cultures, to have “no name abroad” meant there was no spread of renown or respectful memory. Bildad’s forceful language places the emphasis on how total this judgment would be—no one would carry on the wrongdoer’s story or preserve any summation of greatness. Yet, from the broader scope of Scripture, the genuine righteousness that comes from God ensures that faith in Him leads to a testament that endures in His sight (Hebrews 11:2), though Bildad fails to see this perspective in Job’s suffering.
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Job 18:17 meaning
Bildad, one of Job’s friends, continues his speech of rebuke with these words: “Memory of him perishes from the earth, And he has no name abroad.” (v.17) Through these words, Bildad insists that the wicked person’s legacy will vanish completely, leaving no enduring footprint. At this stage in the Book of Job—commonly believed to date to the era of the patriarchs (approximately 2100-1800 BC)—Bildad argues that if someone does not honor God, his memory and impact on future generations will fade to nothing. He believes suffering proves guilt, and so he claims that a person who has apparently incited God’s wrath will find no posterity or honor left behind.
When Bildad proclaims “Memory of him perishes from the earth” (v.17), he describes a comprehensive erasure of the wrongdoer’s influence. From his perspective, God’s judgment removes every trace of the offender’s life. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a person’s name and memory were closely tied to their sense of immortality among their descendants and associates. To erase someone’s memory was to remove every sense of identity and inheritance they might have carried. Though Bildad’s argument is harsh and misapplied to Job’s situation, it underscores the weighty notion that, in a moral universe, persistent evildoing culminates in complete moral and historical obscurity. Later in Scripture, the New Testament reminds us that those who turn to God through Christ, regardless of their past, have the assurance of a redeemed legacy (Romans 8:1).
The second half of the verse, “And he has no name abroad” (v.17), reinforces Bildad’s claim that the name of the wicked will not be recognized among the nations. In many ancient cultures, to have “no name abroad” meant there was no spread of renown or respectful memory. Bildad’s forceful language places the emphasis on how total this judgment would be—no one would carry on the wrongdoer’s story or preserve any summation of greatness. Yet, from the broader scope of Scripture, the genuine righteousness that comes from God ensures that faith in Him leads to a testament that endures in His sight (Hebrews 11:2), though Bildad fails to see this perspective in Job’s suffering.