Job 34:16

16 "But if [you have] understanding, hear this; listen to {what I say}.

Job 34:16 Meaning and Commentary

Job 34:16

If now [thou hast] understanding, hear this
Not as calling his understanding in question, as if he, had none; for Job was a very understanding man; he had not lost his natural understanding by his afflictions, see ( Job 6:13 ) ; nor was he without an understanding of divine things, as his speeches and answers show; but rather it is taken for granted that he was a man of understanding: "if" or "seeing" thou hast understanding, art a man of knowledge and intelligence, therefore hearken and attend to what has been said or about to be said; though, as some Jewish interpreters ^F1 observe, the word is not a noun, but a verb, and is imperative, "understand thou now, hear this"; and then the sense is, "if" things are so as before related, ( Job 34:13-15 ) ; then now understand this, take it into thy heart and mind, and well weigh and consider it:

hearken to the voice of my words;
either the preceding or following ones.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Jarchi, Bar Tzemach, in loc. so Cocceius, Schmidt, and Schultens.

Job 34:16 In-Context

14 If he should set his heart to it, and he should gather his spirit and his breath to himself,

15 all flesh would perish together, and humankind would return to dust.

16 "But if [you have] understanding, hear this; listen to {what I say}.

17 Shall [he who] hates justice really govern? Or will you declare [the] Righteous One, the Mighty, guilty?--

18 the one who says to a king, 'You worthless man,' to noblemen, 'You wicked man,'

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew "And"
• [b]. Literally "the voice/sound of my words"