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Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

Job 34:3

For the ear trieth words - Ascertains their meaning, and especially determines what words are worth regarding. The object of this is, to fix the attention on what he was about to say; to get the ear so that every word should make its proper impression. The word ear in this place, however, seems not to be used to denote the external organ, but the whole faculty of hearing. It is by hearing that the meaning of what is said is determined, as it is by the taste that the quality of food is discerned.

As the mouth tasteth meat - Margin, as in Hebrew “palate.” The meaning is, as the organ of taste determines the nature of the various articles of food. The same figure is used by Job in Job 12:11.

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See also Job 34:3 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Job 34:3. _THE EAR TRIETH WORDS_] I do not think, with _Calmet_, that the _inward ear_, or _judgment_, is meant simply. The Asiatics valued themselves on the _nice and harmonious collection of...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 34 _ 1. Hear my words ye wise men (Job 34:1)_ 2. The refutation of Job's accusation of God (Job 34:5) 3. Job needs testing to the end (Job 34:31)...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    Elihu summons the wise men who hear him to seek a right decision. Job has accused God of injustice, when he is innocent. But in reality Job is the worst of scorners, for he denies the profit of religi...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    MOUTH. palate....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Elihu invites the wise among those who listen to him to attend to what he further says, and to unite with him in seeking to discover the right in this cause between Job and God....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Elihu makes his appeal to his hearers _for_the ear trieth words. His appeal is to the common reason, or to the common reverent and just thoughts of God in men. The "ear" is the inner ear, the understa...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    C. THE SOURCE OF JUSTICE (Job 34:1-37) 1. Job is walking with wicked men when he attributes injustice to God. (Job 34:1-9) TEXT 34:1-9 1 MOREOVER ELIHU ANSWERED AND SAID, 2 Hear my words, ye wis...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _FOR THE EAR TRIETH WORDS, AS THE MOUTH TASTETH MEAT._ Palate (note, Job 12:11; Job 33:2)....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    Cp. Job 12:11....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE SPEECHES OF ELIHU (CONTINUED) 1-9. Elihu appeals to his hearers to judge the matter. He protests against the complaints of Job that he was treated unjustly by God, and that it was no profit to be...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Elihu heard the other men’s arguments. They all insisted that they were wise. If they really were wise, then they should be ready to listen to other people’s opinions. When they had heard Elihu’s opin...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    JOB, A SERVANT OF GOD Job _KEITH SIMONS_ Words in boxes (except for words in brackets) are from the Bible. This commentary has been through Advanced Checking. CHAPTER 34 ELIHU DISCUSSES THE SPEE...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    כִּי ־אֹ֭זֶן מִלִּ֣ין תִּבְחָ֑ן וְ֝ חֵ֗ךְ יִט

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    XXV. POST-EXILIC WISDOM Job 32:1; Job 33:1; Job 34:1 A PERSONAGE hitherto unnamed in the course of the drama now assumes the place of critic and judge between Job and his friends. Elihu, son of Bara...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE ALMIGHTY MUST BE JUST Job 34:1 Elihu stands in Job 34:10 as God's apologist. God's absolute and impartial justice is at all times a matter of untold comfort. There will be no cause of ultimate co...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Job gave no answer to the challenge, and Elihu proceeded. He first appealed to the wise men, asked that they would listen in order to try his words. He then made two quotations from the things Job had...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Taste. The most accurate philosophers attribute this faculty to the tongue, (Calmet) rather than to the throat, guttur. Hebrew, "mouth or palate." (Haydock) --- But Eliu speaks agreeably to the notio...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (1) В¶ Furthermore Elihu answered and said, (2) Hear my words, O ye wise men; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge. (3) For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat. (4) Let us choose t...

  • John Brown Commentaries Selected Books of the Bible

    3. NOW ON TO CHAPTER 34 H. Job 34:1-9 (NKJV) Elihu further answered and said: 2 "Hear my words, you wise [men]; Give ear to me, you who have knowledge. 3 For the ear tests words As the palate taste...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 32 THROUGH 37. But these spiritual affections of Job did not prevent his turning this consciousness of integrity into a robe of self-righteousness which hid G...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    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 t...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat. Ver. 3. _For the ear trieth words_] And for that end we have that excellent sense of hearing given us, that we may hear with judgment, and trying...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Hear my words O ye wise men_ Who are here present: do you judge whether what I have said, and have still further to say, be not reasonable and true. _For the ear trieth words_ Man's mind judgeth of t...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    For the ear trieth words, proving, testing, sifting the true from the false, the good from the bad, AS THE MOUTH, the palate, TASTETH MEAT, making a careful distinction between various foods taken int...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    JOB ACCUSED OF FALSEHOOD AND BLASPHEMY...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    HIS APPEAL AS TO WISE MEN (vv.1-4) Since Job had wisely refrained from speaking, Elihu makes an appeal to all his hearers, as to wise men (v.2). This reminds us of1 Corinthians 10:15, "I speak as to...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    MOUTH: _ Heb._ palate...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-9 Elihu calls upon those present to decide with him upon Job's words. The plainest Christian, whose mind is enlightened, whose heart is sanctified by the Spirit of God, and who is versed in the Scr...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    i.e. Man's mind judgeth Of things spoken and heard. THE EAR, the sense of discipline, is put for the mind, to which things are conveyed by it. SEE POOLE ON "JOB 12:11"....

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Job 34:3 ear H241 tests H974 (H8799) words H4405 palate H2441 tastes H2938 (H8799) food H398 ...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Job 34:1. _Furthermore Elihu answered and said, Hear my words, O ye wise men; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge. For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat._ I wish that verse was...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Elihu's discourse continued. He magnifies God's holiness. CHARACTERS: God, Elihu, Job, friends. CONCLUSION: It is absurd and unreasonable to multiply words in complaint against God's ways....

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Job 34:5. _Job hath said God hath taken away my judgment._ See on Job 27:2. Elihu, in every accusation, takes or turns Job's words in a wrong sense. Job meant that God had varied, in regard of him, th...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 34:1 Elihu calls on “wise men” to hear Job’s contention that he is in the right (vv. Job 34:2) and “men of understanding” to hear Elihu’s argument against this claim (vv....

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 34:3 PALATE TASTES FOOD. Truth is discerned through hearing, just as the quality of food is discerned through tasting. Job used this same proverb earlier to challenge his friends ...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _ELIHU’S SECOND SPEECH_ Probably after waiting for a reply from Job, and none being forthcoming, Elihu resumes. Job 34:1.—“Furthermore Elihu answered (took up speech), and said”. Job’s silence probabl...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION JOB 34:1 In this chapter Elihu turns from Job to those whom he addresses as "wise men" (verse 2), or "men of understanding" (verse 10). Whether these are Job's three special friends, or ot...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Furthermore Elihu went on then [Job didn't answer], he said, Hear my words, O ye wise men; give ear unto me, that have knowledge. For the ear tries words, as the mouth tastes meat (Job 34:1-3). That'...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Corinthians 2:15; Hebrews 5:14; Job 12:11; Job 31:30; Job 33:2;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    HIGH ALTITUDES IN ELIHU'S ANSWER TO JOB Job 32:1, Job 33:1; Job 34:1; Job 35:1; Job 3

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