Does God Pervert Justice?: 8:1–2  The second friend, Bildad, begins without the slightest indication of compassion for Job’s suffering. He immediately condemns Job’s speech, calling it a blustering wind. His goal from the first is to defend the traditional wisdom understanding of retribution. Unlike Eliphaz before him, Bildad seems willing to acknowledge Job’s essential righteousness and encourages patience in waiting for God’s ultimate vindication.

8:3  Bildad’s counterattack proper begins with parallel rhetorical questions upholding God’s essential justice: Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? The anticipated negative response to these questions establishes the foundation of unquestioned divine justice from which the rest of Bildad’s argument proceeds. If God…