And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and
said,
&c.] Since there was no answer in them, he takes upon him to
give one himself; but first makes an apology on account of his
youth:
I [am] young, and ye [are] very old;
or "few of days"; a few days, comparatively speaking, had he
lived in the world; or "small", or "little as two days"
F13; he had been but a little time in
it, and so could be thought to have but little knowledge and
experience; whereas they were old, even very old; with them were
the aged and the grayheaded, ( Job 15:10 ) ; in whom it
might have been expected was much wisdom and knowledge:
wherefore I was afraid, and durst not show mine
opinion;
declare what knowledge he had of the things in dispute, lest it
should appear mean, small, and contemptible; or give his
sentiments concerning them, lest he should speak wrongly, and not
only give offence, but do more harm than good: the first of these
words, in the Arabic language F14, as Aben Ezra observes,
signifies to go back; it is used of worms, which, through fear,
withdraw themselves from men; so mean an opinion had he of
himself, and such a sense of his own weakness, that it not only
kept him back, but even caused him to draw back, and keep out of
the dispute, and at a distance from it, instead of being forward
to engage in it: one Jewish commentator F15
paraphrases it
``I humbled myself as one that goes on his belly;''referring to worms that go low and creep upon their belly, or to the prostrate posture of men that humble themselves to their superiors.
F13 (Mymyl yna ryeu) "minimus ego diebus", Montanus; "parvus diebus sum", Mercerus.
F14 <arabic> "recessit suo loco", Castel. col. 1036.
F15 Sephorno.
