Job 18:7
The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down.
Original Language Analysis
יֵֽ֭צְרוּ
shall be straitened
H3334
יֵֽ֭צְרוּ
shall be straitened
Strong's:
H3334
Word #:
1 of 5
to press (intransitive), i.e., be narrow; figuratively, be in distress
Historical Context
Ancient wisdom literature emphasized that evil schemes ultimately destroy their perpetrators—a principle visible in stories of Haman (Esther 7:10) and Absalom (2 Samuel 18:9-15). Bildad correctly identifies the pattern but wrongly diagnoses Job's case, showing that knowing true principles doesn't guarantee right application.
Questions for Reflection
- When have you seen someone's genuine suffering wrongly interpreted as divine punishment for their 'counsel'?
- How do you avoid Bildad's error of making suffering itself proof of sin?
- What's the difference between acknowledging that sin destroys and claiming all destruction proves sin?
Analysis & Commentary
The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down—Bildad describes the wicked's self-destruction using legal and martial language. Tsa'adei (צַעֲדֵי, 'steps') suggests both military march and life journey; ono (אוֹנוֹ, 'his strength') implies vigor and capability. The verb yetsar (יֵצַר, 'shall be straitened/confined') pictures space collapsing, options disappearing—life's possibilities shrinking to nothing.
'Atzato (עֲצָתוֹ, 'his own counsel') throwing him down (tashlichehu, תַּשְׁלִיכֵהוּ) invokes Proverbs' warnings that the wicked's schemes backfire (Proverbs 1:18-19, 5:22). This is true—sin does destroy the sinner. But Bildad's logic fails: not all destruction proves sin. Job's confined steps result from Satan's attack, not moral failure. True theology wrongly applied produces false witness.