1085. Bildad

Lexical Summary

Bildad: Bildad

Original Word: בִּלְדַּד
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Bildad
Pronunciation: bil-dad'
Phonetic Spelling: (bil-dad')
KJV: Bildad
NASB: Bildad
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. Bildad, one of Job's friends

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Bildad

Of uncertain derivation; Bildad, one of Job's friends -- Bildad.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
perhaps "Bel has loved," one of Job's friends
NASB Translation
Bildad (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

בִּלְדַּד proper name, masculine (ᵐ5 Βαλδαδ; Nö^{ZMG 1888, 479} Bel has loved, compare אֶלְדָּד; Dl^{Pa 298; ZK ii. 177} compare cuneiform Bir-Dadda, compare Hpt^{Hebraica 1885, 224}) 2nd friend of Job (הַשֻּׁחִי) הַשּׁוּחִי ׳בּ Job 2:11; Job 8:1; Job 18:1; Job 25:1; Job 42:9.

Topical Lexicon

Identity and Background

Bildad the Shuhite appears exclusively in the Book of Job (five occurrences: Job 2:11; 8:1; 18:1; 25:1; 42:9). His epithet links him to the clan of Shuah, a son of Abraham by Keturah (Genesis 25:2). This association places Bildad among the peoples of north-west Arabia or the Syro-Arabian desert, men renowned in the patriarchal period for wisdom literature and counsel.

Place in the Narrative of Job

1. Arrival (Job 2:11): Bildad joins Eliphaz and Zophar to “sympathize with Job and comfort him.”
2. First Speech (Job 8): He argues that God never perverts justice; therefore Job’s calamity must reflect hidden sin. “If your children sinned against Him, He has delivered them into the hand of their transgression” (Job 8:4).
3. Second Speech (Job 18): Bildad paints vivid images of the wicked man snared by his own schemes, implicitly describing Job.
4. Third Speech (Job 25): The briefest speech in the book emphasizes the transcendence of God and the impurity of man: “How then can a man be righteous before God?” (Job 25:4).
5. Submission to Divine Verdict (Job 42:9): After the LORD rebukes the counselors, Bildad obeys by offering sacrifices, and his intercession is accepted through Job.

Theological Themes in Bildad’s Speeches

• Divine Justice: Bildad asserts a strict retribution principle—righteousness brings prosperity; sin brings suffering.
• Human Depravity: He acknowledges the universal impurity of humanity (Job 25:4-6), anticipating later biblical affirmations such as Romans 3:10-12.
• Limited Revelation: Bildad speaks true principles (God is just; mankind is sinful) but misapplies them by ignoring divine mystery and the possibility of undeserved suffering. His perspective lacks the fuller revelation later given through Scripture and, ultimately, through Christ.

Historical and Literary Significance

Bildad represents the wisdom tradition of the ancient Near East, reflecting commonly held views on justice and retribution that Scripture both records and critiques. His speeches contribute poetic imagery and tighten the dramatic tension, forcing readers to wrestle with theodicy until God’s climactic self-revelation resolves the debate.

Ministry Lessons

• Caution in Comfort: Right theology spoken without compassion or discernment can wound the suffering (compare Proverbs 25:20).
• Partial Truth Is Insufficient: Bildad’s failure shows that doctrines must be held in humility under the broader counsel of God’s Word.
• Intercessory Obedience: Bildad’s final act of sacrifice (Job 42:9) demonstrates the grace of God in restoring those who repent and obey, foreshadowing New Testament teaching on reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Enduring Relevance

Bildad’s life warns believers to avoid simplistic judgments regarding affliction. His presence in Scripture underscores both the value and the limitation of human wisdom, directing readers to seek ultimate answers in the self-disclosure of the LORD, who alone “does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number” (Job 5:9).

Forms and Transliterations

בִּלְדַּ֥ד בלדד וּבִלְדַּ֣ד ובלדד bil·daḏ bilDad bildaḏ ū·ḇil·daḏ ūḇildaḏ uvilDad

Englishman's Concordance

Job 2:11
HEB: אֱלִיפַ֤ז הַתֵּימָנִי֙ וּבִלְדַּ֣ד הַשּׁוּחִ֔י וְצוֹפַ֖ר
NAS: the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite
KJV: the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite,
INT: Eliphaz the Temanite Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar

Job 8:1
HEB: וַ֭יַּעַן בִּלְדַּ֥ד הַשּׁוּחִ֗י וַיֹאמַֽר׃
NAS: Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
KJV: Then answered Bildad the Shuhite,
INT: answered Bildad the Shuhite and said

Job 18:1
HEB: וַ֭יַּעַן בִּלְדַּ֥ד הַשֻּׁחִ֗י וַיֹּאמַֽר׃
NAS: Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
KJV: Then answered Bildad the Shuhite,
INT: answered Bildad the Shuhite and said

Job 25:1
HEB: וַ֭יַּעַן בִּלְדַּ֥ד הַשֻּׁחִ֗י וַיֹּאמַֽר׃
NAS: Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
KJV: Then answered Bildad the Shuhite,
INT: answered Bildad the Shuhite and said

Job 42:9
HEB: אֱלִיפַ֨ז הַתֵּֽימָנִ֜י וּבִלְדַּ֣ד הַשּׁוּחִ֗י צֹפַר֙
NAS: the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite
KJV: the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite
INT: Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite Zophar

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1085
5 Occurrences

bil·daḏ — 3 Occ.
ū·ḇil·daḏ — 2 Occ.