Job 26:3

How hast thou counselled [him that hath] no wisdom? and [how] hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?

How hast thou counselled {H3289} him that hath no {H3808} wisdom {H2451}? and how hast thou plentifully {H7230} declared {H3045} the thing as it is {H8454}?

Such wonderful advice for a man lacking wisdom! So much common sense you've expressed!

How you have counseled the unwise and provided fully sound insight!

How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom, And plentifully declared sound knowledge!

Commentary

Job 26:3 is part of Job's response to Bildad's brief speech in chapter 25. Job is speaking with biting sarcasm, highlighting the emptiness and inadequacy of the advice his friends have offered him in his suffering.

Context

In the ongoing debate between Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar), the friends have repeatedly offered conventional wisdom, suggesting Job's suffering must be due to his sin. Job has consistently maintained his innocence before God and questioned their understanding of divine justice. Chapter 26 begins with Job's sharp retort to Bildad's short, final speech in chapter 25, which focused on God's immense power and the insignificance of humanity. Job agrees with God's power but points out that his friends have failed to apply any genuine wisdom or comfort to his specific situation.

Key Themes

  • The Futility of Empty Counsel: Job sarcastically points out that his friends' advice, despite being 'plentifully declared,' offered no real help or wisdom to someone (Job) who desperately needed it.
  • The Failure of Human Wisdom: The verse underscores the limitations of human understanding and conventional wisdom when applied to complex situations like Job's suffering, which defied simple explanations.
  • Sarcasm and Rebuke: Job uses rhetorical questions to sharply criticize his friends, implying their counsel was useless to someone they deemed lacking in wisdom, and that their grand pronouncements ('the thing as it is') were ultimately unhelpful platitudes.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word translated "counselled" is ya'ats (Χ™Χ’Χ¦), meaning to advise, counsel, or deliberate. "Wisdom" is chokmah (Χ—Χ›ΧžΧ”), referring to skill, insight, or prudence. The phrase "plentifully declared the thing as it is" translates rav tushiyah (Χ¨Χ‘ ΧͺΧ•Χ©Χ™Χ”). Rav means "much" or "plentiful." Tushiyah can mean "sound wisdom," "effective counsel," or "success." Job's sarcastic use suggests they offered much "sound wisdom" that was anything but sound or effective for his situation.

Reflection

Job 26:3 serves as a powerful reminder that offering counsel requires more than just reciting general truths or platitudes. True wisdom and helpful counsel are sensitive to the specific needs and circumstances of the person suffering. Job felt his friends approached him with assumptions and ready answers rather than genuine understanding and empathy. This verse challenges us to consider whether our words offer genuine comfort and insight, or merely empty noise, particularly when we seek to bear one another's burdens.

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Cross-References

  • Acts 20:27

    For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

  • Job 6:13

    [Is] not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?

  • Psalms 71:15

    My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness [and] thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers [thereof].

  • Psalms 71:18

    Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto [this] generation, [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come.

  • Job 17:10

    ΒΆ But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find [one] wise [man] among you.

  • Job 38:2

    Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

  • Psalms 49:1

    ΒΆ To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Hear this, all [ye] people; give ear, all [ye] inhabitants of the world: