Job 15:17
in Job 15Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I will show thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare
KJV
I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;
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This verse in Job 15
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
I will show thee ... - The remainder of this chapter is a violent declamation, designed to overwhelm Job with the proofs of personal guilt. Eliphaz professes to urge nothing which had not been handed down from his ancestors, and was the result of careful observation. What he says is made up of apothegms and maxims that were regarded as containing the results of ancient wisdom, all meaning that God would punish the wicked, or that the wicked would be treated according to their deserts.
This site's exposition
Listen to me and I will inform you
on Job 15:17-19
Eliphaz moves from the private vision of chapter 4 to tradition, "what was declared by wise men and was not concealed from their fathers". The line claims an unbroken line of wisdom, which Delitzsch places in the patriarchal age.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
Ver. 17. I will shew it thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare to thee.
After Eliphaz had censured Job for provoking God to argument and presuming his own justice, he now censures him about the words he used in the argument and especially for his statement, "Do you think of me as your enemy? Do you show your power …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
11 Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? 12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, 13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? 14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
): " I will show thee that which is worth hearing, and not reason, as thou dost, with unprofitable talk." Thus apt are men, when they condemn the reasonings of others, to commend their own. He promises to teach him, 1.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
I - I will prove what I have affirmed, that such strokes as thine are peculiar to hypocrites. Seen - I speak not by hear-say, but from my own experience.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
I will show thee, hear me,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
In direct contradiction of Job's position (Job 12:6, &c.), that the lot of the wicked was the most prosperous here, Eliphaz appeals (1) to his own experience, (2) to the wisdom of the ancients.
I will show thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare - Eliphaz is now about to quote a whole collection of wise sayings from the ancients; all good enough in themselves, but sinfully misapplied to the case of Job.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֲחַוְךָ֥ | ʾachavkha | I will tell you | H2331 → | 6 times |
| שְֽׁמַֽע־ | shema'- | listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| לִ֑י | li | to me | ||
| וְזֶֽה־ | vezeh- | and what | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| חָ֝זִ֗יתִי | chaziti | I have seen | H2372 → | 55 times |
| וַאֲסַפֵּֽרָה׃ | vaasaperah | and I will recount | H5608 → | 159 times |
אֲחַוְךָ֥I will tell you
ʾachavkhaH2331 →6 times
שְֽׁמַֽע־listen
shema'-H8085 →1159 times
לִ֑יto me
li
וְזֶֽה־and what
vezeh-H2088 →1180 times
חָ֝זִ֗יתִיI have seen
chazitiH2372 →55 times
וַאֲסַפֵּֽרָה׃and I will recount
vaasaperahH5608 →159 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Job 5:27Indeed, we have investigated, and it is true! So hear it and know for yourself.”
it leads to
- Psalms 111:2
Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
- Proverbs 9:12
If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage; but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.
- Job 32:11–12
Indeed, I waited while you spoke; I listened to your reasoning; as you searched for words,
- Proverbs 2:3–5
if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
- Psalms 111:2
Through
Job 36:2“Bear with me a little longer, and I will show you that there is more to be said on God’s behalf.
it leads to
- Job 21:3
Bear with me while I speak; then, after I have spoken, you may go on mocking.
- 2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
- Job 13:7–8
Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf or speak deceitfully for Him?
- Job 21:3
Through
Job 33:1“But now, O Job, hear my speech, and listen to all my words.
it leads to
- Job 13:6
Hear now my argument, and listen to the plea of my lips.
- Job 13:6
About Job
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XII; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.