KJV ORIGINAL
Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Look, this is all the joy his life amounts to, and from the dirt others will grow up to take his place.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
Bildad is saying that the wicked person's brief happiness ends quickly, and others simply replace them when they're gone.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes from Bildad's second speech to Job, where he's arguing that the wicked only experience temporary prosperity before being destroyed. Bildad represents the traditional wisdom view that suffering always results from sin, and he's trying to convince Job that his troubles must be due to wrongdoing. The imagery of growing from earth reflects the ancient understanding of how plants sprout up quickly but can be easily uprooted.
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