Job 18:13 meaning

In the context of Bildad's discourse to Job, the imagery presented illustrates the dire fate awaiting the wicked. Bildad's remarks are a part of Job's friends' attempts to explain his suffering, asserting that it results from wickedness. This notion proliferates throughout the chapter, emphasizing the torments and horrors faced by the ungodly as they encounter their deserved judgement.

Job is reminded that misfortunes, such as terrors and hunger, engulf the wicked. Bildad vividly illustrates that calamity is not just a momentary affliction but an ongoing and devouring presence, indicated by the phrase “even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength,” which signifies ultimate destruction perhaps through disease or the feared specter of death itself. The connection with the “king of terrors” reveals a deeper understanding of mortality and the terrors associated with sin, pointing to a dread that takes root in the hearts of those estranged from God. This narrative suggests a stark reality: without repentance, the fate outlined serves as a dire warning to those who oppose divine order, encapsulating the desperation of existence outside of God's grace.

This reference is encapsulated in the verse from Job: It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.