He tears himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for you? and shall the rock be removed out of his place?
teareth
Job 5:2 For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
Job 13:14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?
Job 16:9 He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.
himself.
Job 40:8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
Ezekiel 9:9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.
the rock
Job 14:18 And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.
Isaiah 54:10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
should the earth be forsaken on your account,
This rhetorical question challenges the notion that the universe should be altered to accommodate individual suffering. It underscores the idea that God's creation operates under divine order and is not subject to change based on human emotions or circumstances. This reflects the biblical theme of God's sovereignty over creation, as seen in passages like Isaiah 40:22-26, which emphasize God's control over the earth and the heavens. The question also serves to remind Job of his place within the larger framework of God's creation, suggesting that personal suffering does not warrant cosmic disruption.
or the rocks be moved from their place?
The imagery of rocks being moved signifies the stability and permanence of God's creation. In biblical literature, rocks often symbolize strength, reliability, and the unchanging nature of God's promises, as seen in Deuteronomy 32:4, where God is described as "the Rock." This phrase implies that just as rocks remain steadfast, so too does the divine order. The rhetorical question reinforces the message that human suffering, while significant, does not alter the fundamental truths of God's creation. It also points to the futility of expecting the natural order to change in response to individual distress, encouraging a perspective of humility and trust in God's overarching plan.
“You who tear yourself in anger” (Job 18:4a) pictures Job so consumed by frustration that he is figuratively shredding his own life. Bildad is rebuking Job for self-destructive wrath.
• Job’s grief and indignation echo earlier laments: “He tears me in His wrath and gnashes His teeth at me” (Job 16:9).
• Proverbs 19:3 shows how folly “ruins his way, yet his heart rages against the LORD,” reminding us that unchecked anger often turns inward before it lashes outward.
• James 1:20 warns, “Man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires,” underscoring Bildad’s charge that Job’s rage is spiritually unproductive.
Bildad’s implication: instead of tearing at himself, Job should humble his heart before the Lord who “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
“Should the earth be forsaken on your account” (Job 18:4b) presses the question of cosmic order. Bildad argues:
• God’s moral universe will not be suspended to accommodate one man’s complaint (Psalm 119:89-91 affirms God’s laws sustain creation).
• Job earlier pleaded, “May the day perish on which I was born” (Job 3:3). Bildad retorts that God will not abandon or unravel creation simply because Job is distressed.
• Romans 3:4 similarly declares, “Let God be true, and every man a liar,” reminding us that human feelings never override divine constancy.
Bildad insists the world keeps turning under God’s steady governance; Job’s pain does not nullify that order.
“Or the rocks be moved from their place?” (Job 18:4c) extends the imagery of immovable stability.
• Psalm 104:5 says God “set the earth on its foundations, it can never be moved,” underscoring the permanence Bildad references.
• Isaiah 54:10 concedes that “the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,” yet even then God’s covenant love remains; Bildad, however, uses the unlikelihood of shifting rocks to argue that divine justice remains firmly anchored.
• Jeremiah 31:35-36 links the fixed cycles of sun, moon, and stars to the unbreakable nature of God’s covenant, reinforcing that rocks stay put unless God Himself decrees otherwise.
Bildad’s point: just as rocks are not casually dislodged, God’s righteous order is not altered to fit one man’s protest.
Bildad accuses Job of self-harmful anger and reminds him that God’s established order will not be overturned for any individual. The verse teaches that personal turmoil, however intense, cannot compel the Almighty to forsake creation or shift His unchanging standards. Instead of raging against that order, believers are called to trust the steadfast God who governs both the earth beneath our feet and the trials within our hearts.
(4) He teareth himself in his anger.--As Eliphaz had charged Job (Job 15:4) with the evil tendencies of his speeches, so Bildad here compares him to a maniac, and assumes that the effect of his teaching will be to banish God from the earth, and remove the strength and hope of man. The last clause is a direct quotation from Job in Job 14:18; it looks, therefore, very much like a wilful perversion of Job's words, for it is clear that he used them very differently. Even if there were no intentional misrepresentation Bildad applies Job's words to his own purposes. The drift of his question is, "Can you expect the course of God's providence to be altered for you? On the contrary, the retribution that awaits the wicked is sure and swift; for verily (Job 18:5) the light of the wicked shall be put out."Verse 4. - He teareth himself in his anger. The Hebrew idiom, which allows of rapid transitions from the second to the third person, and vice versa, cannot be transferred without harshness to our modern speech. Our Revisers have given the true force of the original by discarding the third person, and translating, "Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger." There is probably an allusion to Job 16:9, where Job had represented God as "tearing him in his wrath." Bildad says it is not God who tests him - he tears himself. Shall the earth be forsaken for thee? i.e. "Shall the course of the world be altered to meet thy wishes, to suit thy case?" Job had wished for all manner of impossible things (Job 3:3-6; Job 9:32-35; Job 13:21, 22; Job 16:21; Job 17:3). Bildad's reproach is thus not wholly unjust. But he makes no allowance for the wild utter-shoes of one who is half distraught. And shall the rock be removed out of his place? Shall that which is most solid and firm give way, and alter its nature?