Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

Job 26:3

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

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Omnipotence of God;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Job;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - How;   Job, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
How you have counseled the unwiseand abundantly provided insight!
Hebrew Names Version
How have you counseled him who has no wisdom, And plentifully declared sound knowledge!
King James Version
How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?
English Standard Version
How you have counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
New Century Version
Your advice lacks wisdom! You have shown little understanding!
New English Translation
How you have advised the one without wisdom, and abundantly revealed your insight!
Amplified Bible
"How you have counseled the one who has no wisdom! And how abundantly you have provided sound wisdom and helpful insight!
New American Standard Bible
"What advice you have given to one without wisdom! What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!
World English Bible
How have you counseled him who has no wisdom, And plentifully declared sound knowledge!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Whome counsellest thou? him that hath no wisedome? thou shewest right well as the thing is.
Legacy Standard Bible
What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!What sound wisdom you have abundantly made known!
Berean Standard Bible
How you have counseled the unwise and provided fully sound insight!
Contemporary English Version
You have given great advice and wonderful wisdom to someone truly in need.
Darby Translation
How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom, and abundantly declared the thing as it is!
Easy-to-Read Version
You have given such wonderful advice to this foolish man! You have provided so much useful information!
George Lamsa Translation
How have you counselled him who has no wisdom? And how have you expounded so many doctrines?
Good News Translation
You give such good advice and share your knowledge with a fool like me!
Lexham English Bible
How you have advised one who has no wisdom! And what sound wisdom you have made known in abundance!
Literal Translation
How have you advised the ones not wise or fully declared wise plans?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Where is ye coucell yt thou shuldest geue him, which hath no wy?dome? Wilt thou so shewe thine excellent rightuousnes?
American Standard Version
How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom, And plentifully declared sound knowledge!
Bible in Basic English
How have you given teaching to him who has no wisdom, and fully made clear true knowledge!
JPS Old Testament (1917)
How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
King James Version (1611)
How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisedome? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing, as it is?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Where is the counsayle that thou shouldest geue him which hath no wisdome? Hast thou shewed the way of right lyuing?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
To whom hast thou given counsel? is it not to him who has all wisdom? whom wilt thou follow? is it not one who has the greatest power?
English Revised Version
How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
To whom hast thou youe counsel? In hap to hym that hath not wisdom; and thou hast schewid ful myche prudence.
Update Bible Version
How you have counseled him that has no wisdom, And plentifully declared sound knowledge!
Webster's Bible Translation
How hast thou counseled [him that hath] no wisdom? and [how] hast thou abundantly declared the thing as it is?
New King James Version
How have you counseled one who has no wisdom? And how have you declared sound advice to many?
New Living Translation
How you have enlightened my stupidity! What wise advice you have offered!
New Life Bible
How you have given wise words to him who has no wisdom! How much true learning you have given!
New Revised Standard
How you have counseled one who has no wisdom, and given much good advice!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How hast thou given counsel to one of no-wisdom? or, effective wisdom, abundantly made known?
Douay-Rheims Bible
To whom hast thou given counsel? perhaps to him that hath no wisdom, and thou hast shewn thy very great prudence.
Revised Standard Version
How you have counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
Young's Literal Translation
What -- thou hast given counsel to the unwise, And wise plans in abundance made known.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"What counsel you have given to one without wisdom! What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!

Contextual Overview

1 Then Iyov replied, 2 "What great help you bring to the powerless! what deliverance to the arm without strength! 3 Such wonderful advice for a man lacking wisdom! So much common sense you've expressed! 4 Who helped you to say these words? Whose spirit is it, coming forth from you?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

counselled: Job 6:13, Job 12:3, Job 13:5, Job 15:8-10, Job 17:10, Job 32:11-13

plentifully: Job 33:3, Job 33:33, Job 38:2, Psalms 49:1-4, Psalms 71:15-18, Proverbs 8:6-9, Acts 20:20, Acts 20:27

Reciprocal: Job 15:9 - knowest Job 16:2 - heard

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
Adonai appeared to Avram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to Adonai , who had appeared to him.
Genesis 13:15
All the land you see I will give to you and your descendants forever,
Genesis 13:17
Get up and walk through the length and breadth of the land, because I will give it to you."
Genesis 15:18
That day Adonai made a covenant with Avram: "I have given this land to your descendants — from the Vadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River —
Genesis 17:8
I will give you and your descendants after you the land in which you are now foreigners, all the land of Kena‘an, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God."
Genesis 20:1
Avraham traveled from there toward the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. While living as an alien in G'rar,
Genesis 26:1
A famine came over the land, not the same as the first famine, which had taken place when Avraham was alive. Yitz'chak went to G'rar, to Avimelekh king of the P'lishtim.
Genesis 26:2
Adonai appeared to him and said, "Don't go down into Egypt, but live where I tell you.
Genesis 26:6
(ii) So Yitz'chak settled in G'rar.
Genesis 26:12
Yitz'chak planted crops in that land and reaped that year a hundred times as much as he had sowed. Adonai had blessed him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How hast thou counselled [him that hath] no wisdom?.... A man deprived of wisdom has need of counsel, and it should be given him; and he does well both to ask and take it; and be it so, as if Job should say, that I am the foolish and unwise creature you take me to be, what counsel and advice have you given me? what a wise counsellor have you shown yourself to be? or rather, what a miserable part have you acted under this character?

and [how] hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? the thing in controversy, set it forth in a clear light, and in a copious manner, when he had not said one word about it, namely, concerning the afflictions of the godly, and the prosperity of the wicked; thus jeering at him, and laughing at the short reply he had made, and which was nothing to the purpose.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? - As he had undertaken to give counsel to another, and to suggest views that might be adapted to elevate his mind in his depression, and to console him in his sorrows, he had a right to expect more than he had found in his speech.

And how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? - The word rendered “the thing as it is” (תשׁיה tûshı̂yâh) denotes properly a setting upright, uprightness - from ישׁה yāshah; then help, deliverance, Job 6:13; purpose, undertaking, enterprise, Job 5:12; then counsel, wisdom, understanding, Job 11:6; Job 12:16. Here it is synonymous with reason, wisdom, or truth. The word rendered “plentifully” (לרב larôb) means “for multitude,” or abundantly, and the sense here is, that Bildad had made extraordinary pretensions to wisdom, and that this was the result. This short, irrelevant speech was all; a speech that communicated nothing new, and that met none of the real difficulties of the case.


 
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