Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Men listened to me, waited, and kept silence for my counsel.
- BSB Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel.
- NKJV “Men listened to me and waited, And kept silence for my counsel.
- NASB ¶“To me they listened and waited, And they kept silent for my advice.
- NLT “Everyone listened to my advice. They were silent as they waited for me to speak.
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
People listened attentively to Job and waited silently for his counsel.
Overview
Job returns to recalling his former influence, when others eagerly awaited and respected his advice. His words carried authority and were received with hushed attention. This portrait of his lost honor sharpens the contrast with his present scorn and underscores how dramatically God allowed his circumstances to be reversed for purposes Job did not yet understand.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Job 32:11–12Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your reasons, whilst ye searched out what to say.
- Job 29:9–10The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
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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 29:21 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
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