Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, January 1st, 2026
Holy Name of Jesus
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Life Version

Job 32:4

Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Humility;   Modesty;   Old Age;   Reverence;  

Dictionaries:

- Easton Bible Dictionary - Age;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Age, Old;   Barethel;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ethics;   Job;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elihu;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Age, Old;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Job, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Age, Old;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were all older than he.
Hebrew Names Version
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Iyov, because they were elder than he.
King James Version
Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he.
English Standard Version
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he.
New Century Version
Elihu had waited before speaking to Job, because the three friends were older than he was.
New English Translation
Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job, because the others were older than he was.
Amplified Bible
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were years older than he.
New American Standard Bible
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he.
World English Bible
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were elder than he.
Geneva Bible (1587)
(Now Elihu had wayted til Iob had spoken: for they were more ancient in yeeres then he)
Legacy Standard Bible
Now Elihu had waited with his words for Job because they were years older than he.
Berean Standard Bible
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were older than he.
Contemporary English Version
Elihu was younger than these three, and he let them speak first.
Complete Jewish Bible
Elihu had waited to speak to Iyov because they were older than he;
Darby Translation
But Elihu had waited till Job had finished speaking, because they were older than he.
Easy-to-Read Version
Elihu was the youngest one there, so he had waited until everyone finished talking.
George Lamsa Translation
Now Elihu had waited to correct Job with words, because the other men were older than he.
Good News Translation
Because Elihu was the youngest one there, he had waited until everyone finished speaking.
Lexham English Bible
Thus Elihu had waited for Job to speak because they were older than he.
Literal Translation
And Elihu had waited for Job with words, because they were older than he in days.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now taried Eliu till they had ended their communicacion with Iob, for why? they were elder then he.
American Standard Version
Now Elihu had waited to speak unto Job, because they were elder than he.
Bible in Basic English
Now Elihu had kept quiet while Job was talking, because they were older than he;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now Elihu had waited to speak unto Job, because they were older than he.
King James Version (1611)
Now Elihu had waited till Iob had spoken: because they were elder then he.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe taried Elihu, till they had ended their comunication with Iob: for why? they were elder then he.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But Elius had forborne to give an answer to Job, because they were older than he.
English Revised Version
Now Elihu had waited to speak unto Job, because they were elder than he.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Helyu abood Joob spekynge, for thei, that spaken, weren eldere men.
Update Bible Version
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were older than he.
Webster's Bible Translation
Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken because they [were] older than he.
New King James Version
Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job. [fn]
New Living Translation
Elihu had waited for the others to speak to Job because they were older than he.
New Revised Standard
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were older than he.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, Elihu, had waited for Job with words, because the others were older than he.
Douay-Rheims Bible
So Eliu waited while Job was speaking because they were his elders that were speaking.
Revised Standard Version
Now Eli'hu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he.
Young's Literal Translation
And Elihu hath waited earnestly beside Job with words, for they are older than he in days.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he.

Contextual Overview

1 Then these three men stopped answering Job, because he was right and good in his own eyes. 2 But Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry. He was angry at Job because he said he was right with God. 3 And he was angry at his three friends because they had found no answer, yet they had said that Job was wrong. 4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. 5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, he was very angry.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

waited till Job had spoken: Heb. expected Job in words, Job 32:11, Job 32:12, Proverbs 18:13

elder: Heb. elder for days

Reciprocal: Leviticus 19:32 - General Psalms 119:100 - understand Ecclesiastes 3:7 - and a time to speak

Cross-References

Genesis 4:7
Will not your face be happy if you do well? If you do not do well, sin is waiting to destroy you. Its desire is to rule over you, but you must rule over it."
Genesis 23:6
"Listen to us, my lord. You are a powerful ruler among us. Bury your wife in the best of our graves. None of us will keep his grave from you for burying your wife."
Genesis 27:29
May nations serve you, and the people bow down in front of you. Be the ruler of your brothers. May your mother's sons bow down in front of you. Cursed be those who curse you, and may good come to those who honor you."
Genesis 27:37
Isaac answered Esau, "See, I have made him to rule over you. I have given him all his brothers as servants. I have given him grain and new wine to keep him alive and well. What then can I do for you, my son?"
Genesis 32:5
I have cattle and donkeys and flocks and men and women servants. And I have sent to tell my lord, hoping to find favor in your eyes.'"
Genesis 32:18
then you say, ‘These belong to your servant Jacob. It is a gift sent to my lord Esau. And he is coming behind us.'"
Genesis 33:8
Esau said, "What do you mean by all these animals I have met?" And Jacob said, "They are a gift so I may find favor in the eyes of my lord."
Exodus 32:22
Aaron said, "Do not let my lord be angry. You know the people yourself and how sinful they are.
1 Samuel 26:17
Saul knew David's voice, and said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And David said, "It is my voice, my lord the king.
1 Kings 20:32
So they dressed in cloth made from hair and put ropes on their heads, and went to the king of Israel. They said to him, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘I beg you, let me live.'" Ahab said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken,.... Made an end of speaking, until he had thus expressed himself, "the words of Job are ended", Job 31:40: and waited likewise until his three friends had said all they had to say, and which is here supposed and implied, as appears by what follows:

because they [were] elder than he; it may be added, from the original text, "in", or "as two days" l; they had lived longer in the world than he, and therefore did not take upon him to speak till they had done; he, as became a young man, was swift to hear, and slow to speak; that they were old men, appears from what Eliphaz says, Job 15:10.

l לימים "diebus", Beza, Montanus, Mercerus; "quod ad dies", Schultens.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Now Elihu had waited - Margin, as in Hebrew, expected Job in words. The meaning is plain, that he had waited until all who were older than himself had spoken.

Because they were elder than he - Margin, as in Hebrew, older for days. It appears that they were all older than he was. We have no means of determining their respective ages, though it would seem probable that Eliphaz was the oldest of the three friends, as he uniformly spoke first.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile