Bildad
The Harsh Traditionalist
Name Information
- Meaning: "Son of contention"
- Language of Origin: Hebrew
- Gender Usage: Masculine
Bildad the Shuhite was one of Job’s friends who insisted that Job’s suffering was the result of sin. He leaned heavily on traditional wisdom but lacked compassion in his counsel.
⏰ Patriarchal Period (uncertain)
Roles
- Friend of Job
Relationships
- Friend: Job
Story
Visited Job with Eliphaz and Zophar to console him.
Claimed Job’s children must have sinned and deserved their fate.
Described the terrible fate of the wicked, implying Job was among them.
Ultimately proven wrong by God.
Spiritual Significance
- Argued that God always punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous.
- Lacked empathy, using Job’s suffering as proof of guilt.
- Rebuked by God for misrepresenting Him.
What We Can Learn
- Tradition without compassion can harm the suffering.
- We must be slow to judge others’ circumstances.
- God’s justice is more complex than human reasoning.
Memory Verses
When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.
— Job 8:4
Key Passages
- Job 8
- Job 18
- Job 25
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