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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Job 18:13

The verse reads,

It shall devour the members of his body,

Even the firstborn of death shall devour his members.

The subject itin clause one is the "firstborn of death" in clause two; cf. a similar construction, Judges 5:20, "they fought from heaven, the stars in their courses fought against Sisera". "Members of his body" is literally the pieces("parts" ch. Job 41:12) of his skin. The firstborn of death is the strongest child of death (Genesis 49:3); or else, less naturally, the "deadliest death," cf. firstborn of the poor (the very poorest) Isaiah 14:30; in any case the phrase means the most terrible and fatal disease. The Arabs call deadly diseases "daughters of destiny" destiny, as the bacchanal fatalist sings,

Ordained for us and we ordained for it.

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See also Job 18:13 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Job 18:13. _IT SHALL DEVOUR THE STRENGTH OF HIS SKIN_] This may refer to the _elephant_, or to the _rhinoceros_, whose skin scarcely any dart can pierce: but in the case referred to above, the...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    IT SHALL DEVOUR THE STRENGTH OF HIS SKIN - Margin, bars. The margin is a correct translation of the Hebrew. The word used (בדי _badēy_, construct with עורו _‛__ôrô_ - his skin) means bars, staves,...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 18 BILDAD'S SECOND ADDRESS _ 1. New reproaches (Job 18:1)_ 2. Once again, the wicked and what they deserve (Job 18:5) Job 18:1. Bildad has the good sense in this second oration to be very br...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    JOB 18. SECOND SPEECH OF BILDAD.Bildad speaks this time at unusual length, but his speech has no significance, since it simply describes the fate of the godless. Into the description of this, however,...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    STRENGTH. parts or members of his body. SKIN. Put by Figure of speech _Synecdoche_ (of the Part), App-6, for the whole body. Compare Exodus 22:26. FIRSTBORN OF DEATH: i.e. the chief, or worst, or cr...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    IT SHALL DEVOUR, &C.— _Filthy ulcers shall consume his skin; an untimely death shall destroy his children._ Heath and Houbigant. This sarcasm was peculiarly adapted to the case of Job, whose skin was...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    TEXT 18:5-21 5 YEA, THE LIGHT OF THE WICKED SHALL BE PUT OUT, And the spark of the fire shall not shine. 6 The light shall be dark in his tent, And his lamp above him shall be put out. 7 The step...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _IT SHALL DEVOUR THE STRENGTH OF HIS SKIN: EVEN THE FIRSTBORN OF DEATH SHALL DEVOUR HIS STRENGTH._ Umbreit has 'he' for "it" - i:e., in the rage of hunger he shall devour his own body:' or, his own ch...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    18:13 body; (a-10) Lit. 'of his skin.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    BILDAD'S SECOND SPEECH Bildad replies with a rebuke to Job and a reassertion of the miserable lot of the wicked already asserted by Eliphaz; not so much, however, with covert reference to Job, to who...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    STRENGTH OF HIS SKIN] RV 'members of his body.' FIRSTBORN OF DEATH] i.e. a deadly disease. 14A. Render, 'He shall be rooted out of the tent he trusted was his own.' KING OF TERRORS] death. 15A. RV 'T...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    JOB, A SERVANT OF GOD Job _KEITH SIMONS_ Words in boxes (except for words in brackets) are from the Bible. This commentary has been through Advanced Checking. CHAPTER 18 BILDAD’S SECOND SPEECH...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Bildad’s only idea in this chapter was that a wicked man is never successful. Bildad did not actually say that Job was wicked. But Bildad clearly had this opinion....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Bildad described something terrible that chases the wicked man. Bildad did not actually say that he was thinking about a wild animal. So the wild animal is just a description of the wicked man’s trou...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    THE STRENGTH OF HIS SKIN. — This verse should probably be rendered, “It shall devour the members of his body, even the firstborn of death shall devour his members;” and by the “firstborn of death” is...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    יֹ֭אכַל בַּדֵּ֣י עֹורֹ֑ו יֹאכַ֥ל בַּ֝דָּ֗יו בְּכֹ֣ור...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    XV. A SCHEME OF WORLD RULE Job 18:1 BILDAD SPEAKS COMPOSED in the orderly parallelism of the finished _ mashal_, this speech of Bildad stands out in its strength and subtlety and, no less, in its c...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    “CAST INTO A NET” Job 18:1 Bildad's second speech reveals how utterly he failed to understand Job's appeal for a divine witness and surety. Such words were _snares_ to him, Job 18:2, r.v. The deep t...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Bildad now returned to the charge, and as was the case with Eliphaz it is perfectly evident from his opening rebuke that he was speaking under a sense of annoyance. He was wounded at the wrongs done t...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    It shall devour the strength of his skin: [even] the (h) firstborn of death shall devour his strength. (h) That is, some strong and violent death will consume his strength: or as the Hebrew word sign...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _First-born denotes the best, or the worst. (Haydock) --- Death. Hebrew, "of death," the devil, or a premature death, and most cruel enemy. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "But death devours his most beautif...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (6) The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him. (7) The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down. (8) For he is cast...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 4 THROUGH 31. As to the friends of Job, they do not call for any extended remarks. They urge the doctrine that God's earthly government is a full measure and...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    IT SHALL DEVOUR THE STRENGTH OF HIS SKIN,.... Or "the bars of his skin" x, the strength and support of his body, for which his skin may be put, as the bones; or "the branches of his skin" y, the veins...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    It shall devour the strength of his skin: [even] the firstborn of death shall devour his strength. Ver. 13. _It shall devour the strength of his skin_] _i.e._ His bones, which support his skin; these...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _It shall devour_, &c. _“Filthy ulcers shall consume his skin; an untimely death shall destroy his children._ Heath and Houbigant. This sarcasm was peculiarly adapted to the case of Job, whose skin wa...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    It shall devour the strength of his skin, literally, "the branches of his skin," the members of his body; EVEN THE FIRST-BORN OF DEATH SHALL DEVOUR HIS STRENGTH, a picture emphasizing its destructive...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    BILDAD RECKONS JOB WITH THE HARDENED SINNERS...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    BILDAD'S STRONG REPROOF (vv.1-3) Bildad did not learn from Job's words to be a little more considerate than before, but shows only more strong opposition, reproving Job unjustly. He considered Job's...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    STRENGTH: _ Heb._ bars...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    "HIS SKIN IS DEVOURED BY DISEASE": Clearly. direct attack on Job who had. disease-ridden body. "THE FIRSTBORN OF DEATH DEVOURS HIS LIMBS": This could mean "death in its most terrible form". "A better...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    11-21 Bildad describes the destruction wicked people are kept for, in the other world, and which in some degree, often seizes them in this world. The way of sin is the way of fear, and leads to everl...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    THE STRENGTH OF HIS SKIN, Heb. _the bars_, or rather, the _branches of the skin_, i.e. either the veins and sinews, which branch out themselves through the skin as well as elsewhere; or the fat and fl...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Job 18:13 devours H398 (H8799) patches H905 skin H5785 firstborn H1060 death H4194 devours H398 (H8799) limbs...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Bildad's second discourse on Job's case. CHARACTERS: God, Bildad, Job. CONCLUSION: The way of sin is a way of fear and leads to everlasting confusion, of which the present terrors of consc...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Job 18:6. _The light shall be dark in his tabernacle._ Darkness is a most ancient figure of speech for all kinds of affliction. But to good men, “the Lord will make darkness light before them.” Isaiah...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Then answered Bildad the Shuhite._ THE DANGER OF DENOUNCING WICKEDNESS How wonderfully well the three comforters painted the portrait of wickedness! Nothing can be added to their delineation of sin....

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 18:1 Like Eliphaz, Bildad expressed his frustration (vv. Job 18:2): Who is Job to maintain his position and criticize the words of his friends? The remainder of Bildad’s response is a...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 18:11 FIRSTBORN OF DEATH and KING OF TERRORS personifies the process and finality of death. ⇐

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _BILDAD’S SECOND SPEECH_ Bildad the bitterest and most hostile of the three friends. No speech as yet so insolent and provoking. Full of fiery scathing denunciation against—the wicked—intending, of c...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION JOB 18:1 Bildad's second speech is no improvement upon his first (Job 8:1.). He has evidently been exceedingly nettled by Job's contemptuous words concerning his "comforters" (Job 16:2,...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Then answered Bildad (Job 18:1), So this is Bildad's second discourse with him. How long will it be before you make an end of words? just make the mark, and afterwards we will speak. Why do you count...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Genesis 49:3; Isaiah 14:30; Job 17:16; Jonah 2:6; Revelation 6:8...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    First — born — A terrible kind of death. The first — born was the chief of his brethren, and therefore this title is given to things eminent in their kind....

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