Humanity’s greatest need is for God’s grace that declares us righteous by faith, despite our inherent uncleanliness.
Bildad, in the midst of his final discourse to Job, asks the compelling question, “How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?” (v.4). At this point in the Book of Job, Bildad highlights humanity’s inherent inability to stand completely righteous before a holy God. From a historical perspective, Bildad was one of Job’s friends who lived during or near the patriarchal period (roughly between 2100 and 1800 BC), when deep questions of human suffering and divine justice shaped much of the culture’s understanding of God. His inquiry here exposes the timeless truth that mankind alone cannot achieve moral perfection.
When Bildad asks, “How then can a man be just with God?” (v.4), he underscores the gulf between sinful humanity and a perfect Creator. In the broader witness of Scripture, human attempt at righteousness is continually found wanting (Romans 3:23). The notion of needing a mediator or a redeemer is evident throughout the Old Testament, and it finds fulfillment in the New Testament in Jesus Christ, the only sinless One who bridges the gap between God and humanity (2 Corinthians 5:21). Bildad’s statement also resonates with the humility that believers are called to demonstrate, recognizing that righteousness is not earned by human effort but is granted by divine grace.
Furthermore, “Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?” (v.4) implies that from birth, people inherit imperfection. This echoes other biblical writers, who acknowledge that our very nature is fallen (Psalm 51:5). Yet, the hope initiates in God’s willingness to justify the ungodly through faith, a theme that the rest of Scripture explores in detail (Romans 4:5). Bildad’s question, though intended to highlight Job’s perceived fault, points to the greater redemptive narrative that would later be revealed in Christ’s atoning work on the cross.
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Job 25:4 meaning
Bildad, in the midst of his final discourse to Job, asks the compelling question, “How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?” (v.4). At this point in the Book of Job, Bildad highlights humanity’s inherent inability to stand completely righteous before a holy God. From a historical perspective, Bildad was one of Job’s friends who lived during or near the patriarchal period (roughly between 2100 and 1800 BC), when deep questions of human suffering and divine justice shaped much of the culture’s understanding of God. His inquiry here exposes the timeless truth that mankind alone cannot achieve moral perfection.
When Bildad asks, “How then can a man be just with God?” (v.4), he underscores the gulf between sinful humanity and a perfect Creator. In the broader witness of Scripture, human attempt at righteousness is continually found wanting (Romans 3:23). The notion of needing a mediator or a redeemer is evident throughout the Old Testament, and it finds fulfillment in the New Testament in Jesus Christ, the only sinless One who bridges the gap between God and humanity (2 Corinthians 5:21). Bildad’s statement also resonates with the humility that believers are called to demonstrate, recognizing that righteousness is not earned by human effort but is granted by divine grace.
Furthermore, “Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?” (v.4) implies that from birth, people inherit imperfection. This echoes other biblical writers, who acknowledge that our very nature is fallen (Psalm 51:5). Yet, the hope initiates in God’s willingness to justify the ungodly through faith, a theme that the rest of Scripture explores in detail (Romans 4:5). Bildad’s question, though intended to highlight Job’s perceived fault, points to the greater redemptive narrative that would later be revealed in Christ’s atoning work on the cross.