“Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?
Parallel translations
- WEB “Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
- KJV Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
- BSB “Does a wise man answer with empty counsel or fill his belly with the hot east wind?
- NKJV “Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?
- NLT “A wise man wouldn’t answer with such empty talk! You are nothing but a windbag.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Eliphaz charges that a wise man would not speak empty, windy words. He dismisses Job's defense as hot air.
Overview
Eliphaz asks whether a wise man would answer with 'vain knowledge' and fill himself with the 'east wind,' a scorching, destructive wind. He accuses Job of speaking emptily and harmfully. The taunt reveals how Eliphaz has moved from earlier gentleness to contempt for Job's protests.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Job 6:26Do you intend to reprove words, since the speeches of one who is desperate are as wind?
- Job 8:2“How long will you speak these things? Shall the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
- Job 13:2What you know, I know also. I am not inferior to you.
- Jas 3:13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.
- Hos 12:1Ephraim feeds on wind, and chases the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and desolation. They make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried into Egypt.
- Job 11:2–3“Shouldn’t the multitude of words be answered? Should a man full of talk be justified?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 15:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.