Job 25:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Hence Isaiah proclaims, On the land of My people shall thorns and briars spring up; how numerous they are upon all the houses of joy in the exulting city. Is. 32:13. For ‘the land of His people’ refers to the hearts of all the chosen. Following this, He mentions ‘thorns and thorny plants arising,’ for He observes that even the thoughts of the elect are not free from the prickles of sinful desires. The ‘houses of joy in the exulting city’ signify the minds of the unrighteous, who, neglecting the reality of impending judgments, indulge in fleeting pleasure derived from the flesh. Thus, he states, On the land of my people shall thorns and briars be raised up; how numerous are they upon all the houses of joy in the exulting city. It is as if he were expressing clearly, ‘If wicked tendencies can degrade even the minds of those who thirst for the heavenly realm, how condemned are those who without caution indulge themselves in fleshly delights?’

This discourse highlights a critical point, as Bildad reveals the order of our creation and our birth; he refers to ‘man’ not as ‘worm,’ but as ‘decay,’ and ‘son of man’ as ‘worm.’ For the first ancestor of humanity was ‘man,’ not ‘son of man.’ The subsequent one was not merely ‘man,’ but also ‘son of man.’ Thus, just as the son of man emerges from man, so too does the worm arise from decay. Hence, man is designated as ‘decay,’ whereas the son of man is termed ‘worm.’ The first man was ‘decay,’ but not a ‘worm,’ because though he succumbs to ‘decay’ in death, he was not born from decay. In contrast, the son of man is already identified as ‘worm’ because he originates from the decay of the mortal form.

Consequently, as his friends’ words are summarized, the blessed Job moves towards a more incisive clarity in his judgment, and his assertions gain potency as he nears the conclusion of his discourse. Similarly, it is a common practice among advocates to reserve their most compelling arguments for the final remarks, knowing that these will empower them against their adversaries.