Job 16:3
Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest?
Original Language Analysis
הֲקֵ֥ץ
have an end
H7093
הֲקֵ֥ץ
have an end
Strong's:
H7093
Word #:
1 of 8
an extremity; adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after
לְדִבְרֵי
words
H1697
לְדִבְרֵי
words
Strong's:
H1697
Word #:
2 of 8
a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
ר֑וּחַ
Shall vain
H7307
ר֑וּחַ
Shall vain
Strong's:
H7307
Word #:
3 of 8
wind; by resemblance breath, i.e., a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the
א֥וֹ
H176
א֥וֹ
Strong's:
H176
Word #:
4 of 8
desire (and so probably in proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also if
מַה
H4100
מַה
Strong's:
H4100
Word #:
5 of 8
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and
יַּ֝מְרִֽיצְךָ֗
or what emboldeneth
H4834
יַּ֝מְרִֽיצְךָ֗
or what emboldeneth
Strong's:
H4834
Word #:
6 of 8
properly, to press, i.e., (figuratively) to be pungent or vehement; to irritate
Historical Context
Ancient wisdom literature prized brevity and precision. Verbose, repetitive counsel was considered evidence of folly (Proverbs 10:19). Job's accusation that his friends speak 'words of wind' invokes this cultural standard—they violate wisdom's own protocols while claiming to represent it.
Questions for Reflection
- When have you offered theological explanations for someone's suffering that were mere 'words of wind'?
- What 'emboldens' people to speak confidently about mysteries they don't understand?
- How can we cultivate the humility to say 'I don't know' when confronting suffering?
Analysis & Commentary
Shall vain words have an end? (הֲקֵץ לְדִבְרֵי־רוּחַ, haqets ledivrey-ruach)—The phrase דִּבְרֵי־רוּחַ (divrey-ruach) literally means 'words of wind/spirit'—empty rhetoric lacking substance. Job throws Eliphaz's criticism back: you traffic in windy nothings, not me.
Or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? (אוֹ מַה־יַּמְרִיצְךָ כִּי תַעֲנֶה, o mah-yamritscha ki ta'aneh)—The verb מָרַץ (marats) means 'to provoke, embolden, make bold.' Job questions the audacity of Eliphaz's presumption. His friends speak confidently about matters beyond their knowledge—a perpetual temptation in theodicy debates. True wisdom requires epistemic humility.