Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Easy-to-Read Version

Job 35:16

So he continues his worthless talking. Everything he has said shows he does not know what he is talking about."

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elihu;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Job opens his mouth in vainand multiplies words without knowledge.
Hebrew Names Version
Therefore Iyov opens his mouth with empty talk, And he multiplies words without knowledge."
King James Version
Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.
English Standard Version
Job opens his mouth in empty talk; he multiplies words without knowledge."
New Century Version
So Job is only speaking nonsense, saying many words without knowing what is true."
New English Translation
So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; without knowledge he multiplies words."
Amplified Bible
Job uselessly opens his mouth And multiplies words without knowledge [drawing the worthless conclusion that the righteous have no more advantage than the wicked]."
New American Standard Bible
So Job opens his mouth with empty words; He multiplies words without knowledge."
World English Bible
Therefore Job opens his mouth with empty talk, And he multiplies words without knowledge."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Therfore Iob openeth his mouth in vaine, and multiplieth wordes without knowledge.
Legacy Standard Bible
So Job opens his mouth vainly;He multiplies words without knowledge."
Berean Standard Bible
So Job opens his mouth in vain and multiplies words without knowledge."
Contemporary English Version
Everything you have said adds up to nonsense.
Complete Jewish Bible
So Iyov is being futile when he opens his mouth; he is piling up words without knowledge."
Darby Translation
For Job hath opened his mouth in vanity, and made words abundant without knowledge.
George Lamsa Translation
Therefore Job has spoken in vain; he multiplies words without knowledge.
Good News Translation
It is useless for you to go on talking; it is clear you don't know what you are saying.
Lexham English Bible
therefore Job opens his mouth in empty talk— without knowledge he multiplies words."
Literal Translation
even Job vainly opens his mouth; he multiplies words without knowledge.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore hath Iob opened his mouth but in vayne, ad folishly hath he made so many wordes.
American Standard Version
Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity; He multiplieth words without knowledge.
Bible in Basic English
And Job's mouth is open wide to give out what is of no profit, increasing words without knowledge.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Job doth open his mouth in vanity; he multiplieth words without knowledge.
King James Version (1611)
Therefore doeth Iob open his mouth in vaine: he multiplieth words without knowledge.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therefore doth Iob open his mouth but in vaine, & he maketh many wordes without knowledge.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Yet Job vainly opens his mouth, in ignorance he multiplies words.
English Revised Version
Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity; he multiplieth words without knowledge.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Joob openith his mouth in veyn, and multiplieth wordis with out kunnyng.
Update Bible Version
Therefore Job opens his mouth in vanity; He multiplies words without knowledge.
Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.
New King James Version
Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge."
New Living Translation
But you are talking nonsense, Job. You have spoken like a fool."
New Life Bible
Job opens his mouth with empty talk. He speaks many words without much learning."
New Revised Standard
Job opens his mouth in empty talk, he multiplies words without knowledge."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thus, Job, vainly openeth his mouth, Without knowledge, he multiplieth words.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore Job openeth his mouth in vain, and multiplieth words without knowledge.
Revised Standard Version
Job opens his mouth in empty talk, he multiplies words without knowledge."
Young's Literal Translation
And Job [with] vanity doth open his mouth, Without knowledge words he multiplieth.
THE MESSAGE
"Job, you talk sheer nonsense— nonstop nonsense!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Job opens his mouth emptily; He multiplies words without knowledge."

Contextual Overview

14 So, Job, God will not listen to you when you say that you don't see him. You say you are waiting for your chance to meet with him and prove that you are innocent. 15 "Job thinks that God does not punish evil and that he pays no attention to sin. 16 So he continues his worthless talking. Everything he has said shows he does not know what he is talking about."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Job 3:1, Job 33:2, Job 33:8-12, Job 34:35-37, Job 38:2

Reciprocal: Job 9:20 - mine Job 13:2 - General Job 16:4 - up words Job 34:37 - multiplieth Ecclesiastes 10:14 - is full of words Ezekiel 35:13 - have multiplied

Cross-References

Genesis 3:16
Then God said to the woman, "I will cause you to have much trouble when you are pregnant. And when you give birth to children, you will have much pain. You will want your husband very much, but he will rule over you."
Genesis 35:19
Rachel was buried on the road to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
Genesis 48:7
On the trip from Paddan Aram, Rachel died in the land of Canaan. This made me very sad. We were still traveling toward Ephrath. I buried her there on the road to Ephrath." (Ephrath is Bethlehem.)
Ruth 1:2
The man's wife was named Naomi, and his two sons were named Mahlon and Kilion. They were from the Ephrathah family of Bethlehem in Judah. The family traveled to the hill country of Moab and stayed there.
2 Kings 5:19
Then Elisha said to Naaman, "Go in peace." So Naaman left Elisha and went a short way.
1 Chronicles 2:19
When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath. Caleb and Ephrath had a son. They named him Hur.
Psalms 132:6
We heard about this in Ephrathah. We found the Box of the Agreement at Kiriath Jearim.
Micah 5:2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are the smallest town in Judah. Your family is almost too small to count, but the "Ruler of Israel" will come from you to rule for me. His beginnings are from ancient times, from long, long ago.
Matthew 2:1
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem.
Matthew 2:16
Herod saw that the wise men had fooled him, and he was very angry. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and the whole area around Bethlehem. Herod had learned from the wise men the time the baby was born. It was now two years from that time. So he said to kill all the boys who were two years old and younger.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain,.... In uttering such unbecoming expressions, observed, and refuted, in his loud complaints of God, and of his dealings with him, and in defence of himself;

he multiplieth words without knowledge; both against God and in answer to others; being in a great measure ignorant of the nature and number of his sins, and of his afflictions; and of the end of God in them, and of the right he had to lay them upon him; us well as of his duty patiently to bear them, and trust in God, and wait his own time for deliverance out of them; and or the truth of this he was afterwards convinced, and acknowledged it, Job 42:3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Therefore - In view of all that Elihu had now said, be came to the conclusion that the views of Job were erroneous, and that he had no just cause of complaint. He had suffered no more than he had deserved; he might have obtained a release or mitigation if he had applied to God; and the government of God was just, and was every way worthy of confidence. The remarks of Job, therefore, complaining of the severity of his sufferings and of the government of God, were not based on knowledge, and had in fact no solid foundation.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 35:16. Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain — God will execute vengeance when it may best serve the ends of his justice, providence, and mercy. The delay of judgment is not proof that it shall not be executed; nor is the deferring of mercy any proof that God has forgotten to be gracious.

He multiplieth words without knowledge — However this may apply to Job, it most certainly applies very strongly and generally to the words, not only of Job's three friends, but to those also of Elihu himself. The contest is frequently a strife of words.


 
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