Job 34:3

3 Want het oor proeft de woorden, gelijk het gehemelte de spijze smaakt.

Job 34:3 Meaning and Commentary

Job 34:3

For the ear trieth words
Not only the musical sound of them, the goodness of the language and diction, and the grammatical construction of them, but the sense of them, and whether the matter of them is good or not; that they are sound speech, which cannot be condemned, or unsound; whether they are right or wrong, agreeably to right reason, sound doctrine, and the word of God; for there are words and words, some the words of men, others the words of God. A sanctified ear tries these; but then men must have such ears to hear, and be attentive to what they hear, and retain it; hear internally as well as externally; and which a man does when his ears are opened by the Lord, from whom are the hearing ear and seeing eye; and such try what they hear, distinguish between good and bad, approve truth and receive it, and retain and hold it fast:

as the mouth tasteth meat;
words and doctrines are like meat, some good and some bad; and such that have a good taste try them, either a rational or rather a spiritual discernment: some have no spiritual taste, their taste is not changed, and therefore cannot distinguish, nor make any good judgment of things; but others have, and these discern the difference, relish truth, savour the things that be of God, taste the good word of God, and esteem it more than their necessary food; and it is sweeter to them than the honey or the honeycomb. Such Elihu judged these men to be he addressed, and therefore desired their attention to what he had to say.

Job 34:3 In-Context

1 Verder antwoordde Elihu, en zeide:
2 Hoort, gij wijzen, mijn woorden, en gij verstandigen, neigt de oren naar mij.
3 Want het oor proeft de woorden, gelijk het gehemelte de spijze smaakt.
4 Laat ons kiezen voor ons, wat recht is; laat ons kennen onder ons wat goed is.
5 Want Job heeft gezegd: Ik ben rechtvaardig, en God heeft mijn recht weggenomen.
The Dutch Staten Vertaling translation is in the public domain.