Job 15:8

15:8 Do you listen in on God’s secret council? 1 

Do you limit 2  wisdom to yourself?

Job 15:11

15:11 Are God’s consolations 3  too trivial for you; 4 

or a word spoken 5  in gentleness to you?

1 tn The meaning of סוֹד (sod) is “confidence.” In the context the implication is “secret counsel” of the Lord God (see Jer 23:18). It is a question of confidence on the part of God, that only wisdom can know (see Prov 8:30,31). Job seemed to them to claim to have access to the mind of God.

2 tn In v. 4 the word meant “limit”; here it has a slightly different sense, namely, “to reserve for oneself.”

3 sn The word תַּנְחֻמוֹת (tankhumot) occurs here and only in Job 21:34. The words of comfort and consolation that they have been offering to Job are here said to be “of God.” But Job will call them miserable comforters (16:2).

4 tn The formula “is it too little for you” or “is it too slight a matter for you” is also found in Isa 7:13 (see GKC 430 §133.c).

5 tn The word “spoken” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation.