Job 25:6
how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
All verses
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Job 25:6
how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The original Hebrew uses two distinct words for "worm" to paint a visceral picture: one suggesting rot and putridity, the other a crawling, groveling creature. This emphasizes not just man's weakness, but his inherent corruption and insignificance when contrasted with God's purity and power.
Bildad’s final speech in their debate about suffering brings this exchange to an abrupt close. After struggling to articulate his arguments, Bildad ends by emphasizing humanity’s utter insignificance and corruption, even likening humans to maggots and worms, to highlight how impossible it is for such creatures to stand before a holy God. This marks the end of the second round of speeches, with Job's friends unable to offer a satisfactory response to his pleas.
What's the most degrading image Scripture uses for humanity? It's not a king, or a soldier, but something much smaller and more fragile.
Bildad, in his final argument, paints a stark picture of human nature. He uses two distinct Hebrew words to emphasize our lowliness:
Both terms underscore that apart from God's grace, humanity is naturally mean, vile, and impotent, unable to stand before a holy God or contend with Him.
If humans are nothing more than crawling worms, why would the Creator of the universe even notice us, let alone invite us into relationship?
The profound humility and weakness described in Job 25:6 make God's actions towards humanity all the more astonishing. If even the greatest and best of men are reduced to this lowly image, their ability to approach or contend with God is nonexistent.
Yet, Scripture consistently reveals a God who stoops to lift us. He doesn't relate to us as equals, but as the infinitely holy God reaching down to His creation. The wonder isn't that we are insignificant, but that God, in His immense love and grace, chooses to enter into covenant and communion with such 'worms.'
Understand the original words
'enosh · Hebrew Noun
A term referring to humanity as a whole, highlighting human frailty, mortality, and dependence upon God. It emphasizes the contrast between the creature's lowliness and the Creator's majesty.
rimmah · Hebrew Noun
The larval stage of an insect, often found in decaying matter; used metaphorically in Scripture to denote extreme insignificance, worthlessness, or lowliness in the presence of God's holiness.
ben-'adam · Hebrew Noun Phrase
A common Hebrew idiom used to identify an individual as a human being; it stresses the mortal and earthly nature of humanity, frequently used in parallel with "man" to emphasize human limitation and vulnerability.
tole'ah · Hebrew Noun
This psalm grapples with humanity's astonishing insignificance when compared to the vastness of creation, echoing Job's sentiment about man being like a worm in the face of God's glory.
Psalm 22:6Here, David cries out, 'But I am a worm and not a man,' mirroring Job's self-deprecation and highlighting the deep shame and suffering that can make humans feel utterly insignificant.
Isaiah 41:14The Lord Himself calls Israel a 'worm Jacob,' emphasizing their weakness and vulnerability and showing that even His chosen people are frail creatures in His sight.
Luke 1:49Mary's Magnificat rejoices in God's power to bring down the mighty and lift up the lowly, a truth underscored by Job's stark reminder of human lowliness – God's grace shines brightest on those who recognize their 'worm-like' state.
clarkeJob 25:6: "How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?"
How much less man, that is a worm? - Or as the Targum - "How much more man, who in his life is a reptile; and the son of man, who in his death is a worm." Almost all the versions read, "Truly man is corruption, and the son of man a worm." The original is degradingly expressive: "Even because אנוש enosh, miserable man, is רמה rimmah, a crawling worm; and the son of Adam, who is תולעה toleah, a worm, or rather…
wesleyJob 25:6: "How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?"
25:6 Worm - Mean, and vile, and impotent; proceeding from corruption, and returning to it. The son - For miserable man in the last branch he here puts the son of any man, to shew that this is true even of the greatest and best of men. Let us then wonder at the condescension of God, in taking such worms into covenant and communion with himself!
The original Hebrew uses two distinct words for "worm" to paint a visceral picture: one suggesting rot and putridity, the other a crawling, groveling creature. This emphasizes not just man's weakness, but his inherent corruption and insignificance when contrasted with God's purity and power.
Bildad’s final speech in their debate about suffering brings this exchange to an abrupt close. After struggling to articulate his arguments, Bildad ends by emphasizing humanity’s utter insignificance and corruption, even likening humans to maggots and worms, to highlight how impossible it is for such creatures to stand before a holy God. This marks the end of the second round of speeches, with Job's friends unable to offer a satisfactory response to his pleas.
Bildad’s final speech in their debate about suffering brings this exchange to an abrupt close. After struggling to articulate his arguments, Bildad ends by emphasizing humanity’s utter insignificance and corruption, even likening humans to maggots and worms, to highlight how impossible it is for such creatures to stand before a holy God. This marks the end of the second round of speeches, with Job's friends unable to offer a satisfactory response to his pleas.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Job 25:6 is available in the Sola app.
A small, crawling creature often associated with the earth, weakness, and vulnerability; biblically, it serves as a vivid metaphor for the insignificance of humanity compared to the glory and power of the Creator.
"how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!”" — The original Hebrew uses two distinct words for "worm" to paint a visceral picture: one suggesting rot and putridity, the other a crawling, groveling creature. This emphasizes not just man's weakness…