Job 15:2

2 Whether a wise man shall answer, as speaking against the wind, and shall fill his stomach with burning, that is ire? (Would a wise man answer someone, whose speaking is merely wind, and who filleth his stomach with hot air?)

Job 15:2 Meaning and Commentary

Job 15:2

Should a wise man utter vain knowledge
As Job had been thought to be, or as he himself thought he was, which he might say sarcastically; or as he really was, not worldly wise, nor merely wise in things natural, but in things divine; being one that had the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, and wisdom itself; believed in Christ, and walked wisely and circumspectly before men; now it is not becoming such a man to utter vain knowledge, or such knowledge as is like the wind, or, as the Targum, windy knowledge; empty, not solid, nor satisfying, but swells and puffs up, and is knowledge falsely so called; but it does not appear that Job did utter such vain and fruitless things as deserved to be compared to the wind:

and fill his belly with the east wind;
which is noisy and blusterous, rapid and forcible, bearing all before it, and very infectious in hot countries; and such notions Job, according to Eliphaz, satisfied himself with, and endeavoured to insinuate them into others; which were nothing but great swelling words of vanity, and tended to subvert the faith of men, and overthrow all religion, and were very unwholesome, infectious, and ruinous to the minds of men, as suggested.

Job 15:2 In-Context

1 Then Eliphaz (the) Temanite answered, and said,
2 Whether a wise man shall answer, as speaking against the wind, and shall fill his stomach with burning, that is ire? (Would a wise man answer someone, whose speaking is merely wind, and who filleth his stomach with hot air?)
3 For thou reprovest him by words, which is not like thee, and thou speakest that, that speedeth not to thee. (For thou rebukest him with worthless words, and thou speakest, what profiteth thee not.)
4 As much as is in thee, thou hast avoided dread; and thou hast taken away thy prayers before God. (As much as is possible, thou hast avoided fearing God/revering God; and thou hast not presented thy prayers to God.)
5 For [thy] wickedness hath taught thy mouth, and thou followest the tongue of blasphemers.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.