Job 8:9
“(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days on earth are a shadow.)”
What does Job 8:9 mean?
Bildad is reminding Job that human life is fleeting and our understanding is limited by how little time we have. We're newcomers to existence, born just yesterday in the sweep of time, which means we haven't accumulated the wisdom that comes from long experience or deep knowledge of how the world works. Our days pass like shadows, here and then gone, so we shouldn't be too confident in our own judgments about suffering or justice. This can comfort us when we're wrestling with hard questions we can't answer. Sometimes the most honest thing we can do is acknowledge that our perspective is small and temporary, and that's okay, that's human. It can actually free us from the burden of having to figure everything out.