Job 25:4
in Job 25How then can a man be just before God? How can one born of woman be pure?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
How then can man be just with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
KJV
How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
⋯
This verse in Job 25
Commentary
11 notes on this verseCan a man be justified being compared with God? or can he be found clean that is born of a woman? 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.
This site's exposition
How then can a man be just before God
on Job 25:4-6
Bildad closes the friends' case by asking a third time, after Eliphaz at 4:17 and 15:14: "How then can a man be just before God?" The friends end where Eliphaz began, and Job has moved from the mediator of 9:33 to the Redeemer of 19:25.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
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.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Using the premise of the divine power, he proceeds to his proposition saying, "Can a man be justified in comparison to God?" as if to say: Since God is so great and so excellent in justice that he even makes concord in the highest creatures, …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
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.
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.
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? 4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Man - The word signifies man that is miserable, which supposes him to be sinful; and shall such a creature quarrel with that dominion of God, to which the sinless, and happy, and glorious angels submit?
How then can man be justified with God?
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
How then can man be justified? - Or, ונה umah, With what, shall a man be justified with God? Though this is no conclusion from Bildad’s premises, yet the question is of the highest importance to man. Neither Bildad nor any of his fellows could answer it; the doctrine of redemption through the blood of the cross was then known only through types and shadows. We who live in the Gospel dispensation, can readily answer the question, With what shall miserable man (אנוש enosh) be justified with God? - Ans.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
How then can man be justified with God? - see Job 4:17-18; Job 15:15-16. Instead of meeting the facts to which Job had appealed, all that Bildad could now do was to repeat what had been said before. It shows that he felt himself unable to dispose of the argument, and yet that he was not willing to confess that he was vanquished. Or how can he be clean? - This sentiment had been expressed by Job himself, Job 14:4. Perhaps Bildad meant now to adopt it as undoubted truth, and to throw it back upon Job as worthy of his special attention. It has no bearing on the arguments which Job had advanced, and is utterly irrelevant except as Bildad supposed that the course of argument maintained by Job implied that he supposed himself to be pure.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּמַה־ | umah- | and what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| יִּצְדַּ֣ק | yitzdak | will he be righteous | H6663 → | 41 times |
| אֱנ֣וֹשׁ | ʾenoosh | a person | H582 → | 566 times |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| אֵ֑ל | ʾel | God | H410 → | 241 times |
| וּמַה־ | umah- | and what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| יִּ֝זְכֶּ֗ה | yizkeh | will he be pure | H2135 → | |
| יְל֣וּד | yelud | [one] born of | H3205 → | 496 times |
| אִשָּֽׁה׃ | ʾishah | a woman | H802 → | 781 times |
וּמַה־and what?
umah-H4100 →752 times
יִּצְדַּ֣קwill he be righteous
yitzdakH6663 →41 times
אֱנ֣וֹשׁa person
ʾenooshH582 →566 times
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
אֵ֑לGod
ʾelH410 →241 times
וּמַה־and what?
umah-H4100 →752 times
יִּ֝זְכֶּ֗הwill he be pure
yizkehH2135 →
יְל֣וּד[one] born of
yeludH3205 →496 times
אִשָּֽׁה׃a woman
ʾishahH802 →781 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Romans 5:1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
it leads to
- Isaiah 32:17
The work of righteousness will be peace; the service of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.
- John 16:33
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
- Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Colossians 1:20
and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.
- Acts 13:38–39
Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
- Isaiah 32:17
Through
Psalms 130:3If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand?
it leads to
- Psalms 143:2
Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous before You.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 76:7
You alone are to be feared. When You are angry, who can stand before You?
- Romans 3:20–24
Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
- Psalms 143:2
About Job
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XVII; John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON JOB 25:2B-4B; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; R. A. Watson, The Book of Job, Expositor's Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.