Job 26:3 Meaning and Explanation
“How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Job continues the sarcasm, asking how Bildad's counsel has enlightened anyone and what abundance of sound wisdom he supposes he has poured out.
What Does Job 26:3 Mean?
The second pair of barbed questions targets Bildad's claim to wisdom. Bildad had spoken as though he were instructing the ignorant, yet Job notes that no genuine insight has reached him from these words.
The phrase plentifully declared exposes the gap between the friends' confident tone and the emptiness of what they actually said. True wisdom comforts and clarifies; counsel that only condemns is no counsel at all. The reader is reminded that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), a wisdom that listens before it speaks.
Job 26:3 in the Original Language
tushiyyah (תּוּשִׁיָּה), 'wisdom' -- sound, effective insight that actually accomplishes something, here used with biting irony.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 26:3
What does Job 26:3 mean?
Job continues the sarcasm, asking how Bildad's counsel has enlightened anyone and what abundance of sound wisdom he supposes he has poured out.