Job 8:10

10 So why not let the ancients teach you, tell you what's what, instruct you in what they knew from experience?

Job 8:10 Meaning and Commentary

Job 8:10

Shall not they teach thee, [and] tell thee
That is, the men of the former age, and their fathers before them, Job is directed to inquire of, and to prepare for a search into their records and traditions; from whom he might reasonably expect to be taught and told things that would be very instructive and useful to him in his present circumstances:

and utter words out of their heart?
such as were the effect of mature judgment and long observation, and which they had laid up in their hearts, and brought out from their treasure there; and, with the greatest faithfulness and sincerity, had either committed them to writing, or delivered them in a traditionary way to their posterity, to be communicated to theirs; and which might be depended upon as true and genuine, being men of probity, uprightness, and singleness of heart; who declared sincerely what they knew, and spoke not with a double heart, having no intention to deceive, as it cannot be thought they would impose upon their own children; and therefore Job might safely receive what they uttered, and depend upon it as truth and fact; and what they said, as Jarchi observes, is as follows; or what follows Bildad collected from them, and so might Job, and think he heard them "saying", as Piscator supplies the text, what is expressed in the following verses, if not in their words, yet as their sense.

Job 8:10 In-Context

8 "Put the question to our ancestors, study what they learned from their ancestors.
9 For we're newcomers at this, with a lot to learn, and not too long to learn it.
10 So why not let the ancients teach you, tell you what's what, instruct you in what they knew from experience?
11 Can mighty pine trees grow tall without soil? Can luscious tomatoes flourish without water?
12 Blossoming flowers look great before they're cut or picked, but without soil or water they wither more quickly than grass.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.