15:2 “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, 1
or fill his belly 2 with the east wind? 3
21:22 Can anyone teach 4 God knowledge,
since 5 he judges those that are on high? 6
33:3 My words come from the uprightness of my heart, 7
and my lips will utter knowledge sincerely. 8
34:35 that 9 Job speaks without knowledge
and his words are without understanding. 10
35:16 So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; 11
without knowledge he multiplies words.”
36:3 With my knowledge I will speak comprehensively, 12
and to my Creator I will ascribe righteousness. 13
36:26 “Yes, God is great – beyond our knowledge! 14
The number of his years is unsearchable.
1 tn The Hebrew is דַעַת־רוּחַ (da’at-ruakh). This means knowledge without any content, vain knowledge.
2 tn The image is rather graphic. It is saying that he puffs himself up with the wind and then brings out of his mouth blasts of this wind.
3 tn The word for “east wind,” קָדִים (qadim), is parallel to “spirit/wind” also in Hos 12:2. The east wind is maleficent, but here in the parallelism it is so much hot air.
4 tn The imperfect verb in this question should be given the modal nuance of potential imperfect. The question is rhetorical – it is affirming that no one can teach God.
5 tn The clause begins with the disjunctive vav (ו) and the pronoun, “and he.” This is to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause. See GKC 456 §142.d.
6 tc The Hebrew has רָמִים (ramim), a plural masculine participle of רוּם (rum, “to be high; to be exalted”). This is probably a reference to the angels. But M. Dahood restores an older interpretation that it refers to “the Most High” (“Some Northwest Semitic words in Job,”Bib 38 [1957]: 316-17). He would take the word as a singular form with an enclitic mem (ם). He reads the verse, “will he judge the Most High?”
7 tc This expression is unusual; R. Gordis (Job, 371) says it can be translated, “the purity of my heart [is reflected] in my words,” but that is far-fetched and awkward. So there have been suggestions for emending יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”). Kissane’s makes the most sense if a change is desired: “shall reveal” (an Arabic sense of yasher), although Holscher interpreted “shall affirm” (yasher, with a Syriac sense). Dhorme has “my heart will repeat” (יָשׁוּר, yashur), but this is doubtful. If Kissane’s view is taken, it would say, “my heart will reveal my words.” Some commentators would join “and knowledge” to this colon, and read “words of knowledge” – but that requires even more emendations.
8 tn More literally, “and the knowledge of my lips they will speak purely.”
9 tn Adding “that” in the translation clarifies Elihu’s indirect citation of the wise individuals’ words.
10 tn The Hiphil infinitive construct is here functioning as a substantive. The word means “prudence; understanding.”
11 tn The word הֶבֶל (hevel) means “vanity; futility; to no purpose.”
12 tn Heb “I will carry my knowledge to-from afar.” The expression means that he will give a wide range to knowledge, that he will speak comprehensively.
13 tn This line gives the essence of all of Elihu’s speech – to give or ascribe righteousness to God against the charges of Job. Dhorme translates this “I will justify my Maker,” and that is workable if it carries the meaning of “declaring to be right.”
14 tn The last part has the verbal construction, “and we do not know.” This clause is to be used adverbially: “beyond our understanding.”