BALDAD (Hebrew: Bildadh). - One of the three figures (with Eliphaz and Zophar) who went to their common friend Job (v.) to comfort him in his misfortunes (Job 2:11; 8:1; 18:1; 25:1; 42:9).
He is called "the Shuhite," Heb. hat-Sühl; ὁ Σαυγίτης in the Septuagint. According to cuneiform documents, the tribe of the Suhi lived on the bank of the Euphrates, south of Carchemish and north of Arabia.
In the first of the three discussions held between Job and the friends, B. supports the thesis of Eliphaz, according to which every suffering is a punishment for personal sins. Whoever repents, however, can recover his former prosperity; the righteous man, moreover, enjoys a special divine protection (Job 8). In the 2nd discussion, B. brilliantly depicts the happiness of the wicked man who finally falls under harsh calamities, remains isolated and deprived of posterity (Job 18). In the 3rd, with a few phrases he contrasts the power of God with the nothingness of man (Job 25:2-6).
In B.'s speeches, vivid and fanciful description prevails over reflection. He props up the thoughts of Eliphaz with the authority of the ancient sages. Only in the last discussion, overcome by the soundness of Job's arguments, does he soften the harsh tone with which he had previously argued. In the end, by divine command, he joins the other friends in publicly doing justice to the great sufferer.