Men of understanding will tell me, yes, every wise man who hears me:
Parallel translations
- KJV Let men of understanding tell me, and let a wise man hearken unto me.
- BSB Men of understanding will declare to me, and the wise men who hear me will say:
- NKJV “Men of understanding say to me, Wise men who listen to me:
- NASB “Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me,
- NLT After all, bright people will tell me, and wise people will hear me say,
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
Elihu appeals to discerning, wise hearers who will agree with his assessment of Job. He claims the support of sound understanding.
Overview
Elihu invokes the consensus of men of understanding to reinforce his coming verdict against Job's words. Appeal to wise witnesses was a common rhetorical move, though Elihu's confidence verges on presumption. The verse reminds readers to weigh counsel carefully, for ultimately God Himself, not human consensus, vindicates the truth, as He does at the end of Job.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Job 34:16“If now you have understanding, hear this. Listen to the voice of my words.
- Job 34:2“Hear my words, you wise men. Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
- Job 34:10“Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
- Job 34:4Let us choose for us that which is right. Let us know among ourselves what is good.
- 1 Cor 10:15I speak as to wise men. Judge what I say.
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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 34:34 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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