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Wednesday, June 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 6 / Ordinary 11
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Job 15:3

Do you think a wise man would use empty words and meaningless speeches to win his arguments?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Thompson Chain Reference - Evil;   Silence-Speech;   Speaking, Evil;   Talk, Vain;   Vain Talk;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Eliphaz;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Reason;   Shebna;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Should he argue with useless talkor with words that serve no good purpose?
Hebrew Names Version
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches with which he can do no good?
King James Version
Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
English Standard Version
Should he argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which he can do no good?
New Century Version
He would not argue with useless words or make speeches that have no value.
New English Translation
Does he argue with useless talk, with words that have no value in them?
Amplified Bible
"Should he rebuke and argue with useless talk? Or with words in which there is no benefit?
New American Standard Bible
"Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which do not benefit?
World English Bible
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches with which he can do no good?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Shall he dispute with wordes not comely? or with talke that is not profitable?
Legacy Standard Bible
Should he argue with a word that cannot be used,Or with speech which is not profitable?
Berean Standard Bible
Should he argue with useless words or speeches that serve no purpose?
Contemporary English Version
you would stop spreading all of this hot air.
Complete Jewish Bible
Should he reason with useless talk or make speeches that do him no good?
Darby Translation
Reasoning with unprofitable talk, and with speeches which do no good?
George Lamsa Translation
Should he admonish with unprofitable talk, or with words that are worthless?
Good News Translation
No one who is wise would talk the way you do or defend himself with such meaningless words.
Lexham English Bible
Should he argue in talk that is not profitable or in words with which he cannot do good?
Literal Translation
Should he reason with speech that is not useful, or with words having no profit in them?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou reprouest wt wordes, that are nothinge wroth: and speakest the thinges, which can do no good.
American Standard Version
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
Bible in Basic English
Will he make arguments with words in which is no profit, and with sayings which have no value?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
King James Version (1611)
Should hee reason with vnprofitable talke? or with speeches wherewith he can doe no good?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Shall he reproue with a worde that is nothing worth, & speake the thinges which can do no good?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
reasoning with improper sayings, and with words wherein is no profit?
English Revised Version
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For thou repreuest hym bi wordis, which is not lijk thee, and thou spekist that, that spedith not to thee.
Update Bible Version
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches by which he can do no good?
Webster's Bible Translation
Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches with which he can do no good?
New King James Version
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
New Living Translation
The wise don't engage in empty chatter. What good are such words?
New Life Bible
Should he argue with talk that will not help, or with words that do no good?
New Revised Standard
Should they argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which they can do no good?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Disputing with discourse that doth no good, or with speech, wherein is no profit?
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou reprovest him by words, who is not equal to thee, and thou speakest that which is not good for thee.
Revised Standard Version
Should he argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which he can do no good?
Young's Literal Translation
To reason with a word not useful? And speeches -- no profit in them?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which are not profitable?

Contextual Overview

1 Then Eliphaz from Teman answered Job: 2 "If you were really wise, you would not answer with your worthless personal opinions! A wise man would not be so full of hot air. 3 Do you think a wise man would use empty words and meaningless speeches to win his arguments? 4 If you had your way, no one would respect God and pray to him. 5 What you say clearly shows your sin. Job, you are trying to hide your sin by using clever words. 6 I don't need to prove to you that you are wrong. The words from your own mouth show that you are wrong. Your own lips speak against you. 7 "Do you think you were the first person ever to be born? Were you born before the hills? 8 Did you listen to God's secret plans? Do you think you are the only wise person? 9 We know as much as you do! We understand as well as you. 10 The old, gray-haired men agree with us. People older than your father are on our side.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he reason: Job 13:4, Job 13:5, Job 16:2, Job 16:3, Job 26:1-3, Malachi 3:13-15, Matthew 12:36, Matthew 12:37, Colossians 4:6, 1 Timothy 6:4, 1 Timothy 6:5

Reciprocal: Job 11:3 - thy lies Titus 3:9 - unprofitable

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will build a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. People will use your name to bless other people.
Genesis 13:16
I will make your people so many that they will be like the dust of the earth. If people could count all the particles of dust on earth, they could count your people.
Genesis 14:14
When Abram learned that Lot was captured, he called all of his family together. There were 318 trained soldiers. He led the men and chased the enemy all the way to the town of Dan.
Proverbs 13:12
Hope that is delayed makes you sad, but a wish that comes true fills you with joy.
Proverbs 29:21
Give your servants everything they want, and they will learn to be wasteful.
Proverbs 30:23
a woman whose husband hated her but still married her, and a servant girl who becomes ruler over the woman she serves.
Ecclesiastes 2:7
I bought men and women slaves, and there were slaves born in my house. I owned many great things. I had herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. I owned more things than any other person in Jerusalem did.
Jeremiah 12:1
Lord , if I argue with you, you are always right. But I want to ask you about some things that don't seem right. Why are wicked people successful? Why do people you cannot trust have such easy lives?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Should he reason with unprofitable talk?.... That is, the wise man, such a man as Job; does it become him to talk such idle stuff? that which is false, and foolish, and frothy, that does not minister grace to the hearer, and is not for the use of edifying; as whatever is untrue, unwise, vain, and empty, must be useless and answer no good end; nothing is profitable but what tends to increase solid wisdom and spiritual knowledge, and to exercise grace, and influence an holy life; wherefore what are profitable to the souls of men are the doctrines of the word of God, and the experiences of the grace of God, communicated by his people one to another; and nothing but these, or what agrees with them, should come out of the mouth of a wise and good man; nor can such an one expect to convince men of their errors, or reprove them for their sins with success, who deals in words of no profit:

or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? but may do a great deal of hurt both to himself and others; but the same thing is here signified in different words,

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Should he reason with unprofitable talk? - It does not become a man professing to be wise to make use of words that are nothing to the purpose. The sense is, that what Job said amounted to just nothing.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 15:3. Should he reason with unprofitable talk? — Should a man talk disrespectfully of his Maker, or speak to him without reverence? and should he suppose that he has proved any thing, when he has uttered words of little meaning, and used sound instead of sense?


 
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