Eliphaz’s Answer Shall a wise man raise his voice with opinions of wind It is puzzling. Should one who is wise answer and raise his voice with an opinion of wind and futility?

To debate over a matter from which he derives no benefit Heb. יסכון. To debate over a matter from which he will derive no benefit, like (I Kings 1:2), “and she shall be to him a warmer (סכנת),” and like (Ecc. 10:9), “is warmed (יסכן) by it,” i.e., he will derive benefit from it.

Surely you Surely you, who are very wise, will do away with fear by the multitude of your words.

and increase speech Heb. ותגרע, like (below 36:27) “He will increase (יגרע) the drops of water,” and like (ibid. 15:8), “and [did] you increase (ותגרע) wisdom to yourself.”

For your iniquity teaches Your evil inclination [teaches] your mouth to speak such words, but you should have chosen the tongue of the crafty.

Let your own mouth condemn you and not I That is to say: Give me an answer to my question; the result will be that your own mouth will condemn you, for it better for me that your mouth should condemn you and not I. Now this is my question:

Were you born before Adam Heb. הראישון. Were you born before Adam? This “hey” serves as the interrogative expression. Therefore, it is vowelized with a “hattaf pattah” and its meaning is: Were you born the first one, before Adam who was formed from the earth, so that you knew to fulfill all the wisdom of the commandments of the Creator?

and increase And bring down much [wisdom] from above to descend upon you?

more of more days than you father.

Are God’s consolations little for you with which the Rock benefited you until now for many days, and His good thing that He gave you with pleasantness and gentleness, viz. His fatness [i.e., plenty].

He gave...gently Heb. לאט, he gave gently. This is a verb, not a noun. Therefore, it is vowelized half with a “kamatz” and half with a “pattah.”

teach you Heb. יקחך, teach you, as in (Deut. 32:2), “so that my teaching (לקחי) may drip like rain.”

hint Heb. ירזמון, like יִרְמְזוּן ; like שַׂלְמָה שִׂמְלָה (Exod. 22:8, 26).

What is man that he should be innocent What is his strength, that he can be innocent against the Holy One, blessed be He?

and the heavens the host of the heavens.

pure Heb. זכו, shine. Every expression of זַךְ is splendor.

Surely Heb. אף, how much more.

and impure Heb. ונאלח, abominable and mixed. Similarly (Ps. 53: 4), “Are they all dross, altogether filthy (נאלחו)?”

That the wise men tell and confess their transgression. and do not hide their iniquity from their fathers. This is what I saw, and behold, I will tell you. Now where did I see it? Judah confessed and was not ashamed in the incident of Tamar. Reuben confessed and was not ashamed in the incident of Bilhah. And what was their reward?

To them alone the land was given As a reward for this, Judah merited eternal kingship, and both took their share of the heritage, and they were not driven out of their heritage because of their iniquity, since they confessed.

and no stranger passed in their midst when Moses came to bless them, as it is stated (Deut. 33:6f): “Reuben shall live and not die etc. And is this for Judah?” And no stranger passed in their midst in the heritage of the future that is apportioned in the Book of Ezekiel (48). But...

All the days of a wicked man who does not repent of his sin and does not confess his transgressions, all his days...

he mourns and grieves over his certainty of being requited for his evil that he committed. All the number of years that were laid up for the oppressor, he mourns.

The word מתחולל is an expression of mourning, but I did not hear this.

The voice of terrors is in his ears saying that the time of his retribution has arrived.

in peace And when he lives in peace, then the robber will come upon him.

and he is destined to the sword Heb. וצפוי. He is destined to the sword, and his eye to wander for bread—where should he find it?

He wanders i.e., he is assured of wandering.

He knows in fact.

that...is ready and prepared to come to his hand, i.e., to him, and with him is the day of darkness. at his hand Like (Gen. 32: 14), “from what came into his hand.”

it overpowers him The anguish is stronger than him and it will prevail over him.

like a king destined for the inferno Heb. לכידור. I have not found anything similar to it, but it may be interpreted by means of the interchangeable letters, “resh” with “dalet,” like (Gen. 10:3), “Ashkenaz and Riphath” in the Torah, and in Chronicles (I, 1:6): “Ashkenaz and Diphath;” and similarly (Gen. 10: 4). “Kittim and Dodanim” Here too, לַכִּידוֹר is equivalent to לַכִּידוֹד, to the king who is destined to burn (ליקוד) in the fire of Gehinnom; i.e., Sennacherib, about whom the prophet prophesied (Isa. 30: 33): “For Tophteh has been set up from yesterday, that too has been prepared for the king,” to burn his legions; (Isa. 10:16), “a burning shall burn.” Similar to this (below 41:11), “sparks of (כידודי) fire go forth”; either brands or flames.

He runs towards Him He would run toward the Creator with his neck high and upright, in order to provoke Him.

the thickness of the body of his shields With the power of his strength. the body of an expression of height, as (Ezek 16:24), “and you built yourself a platform (גב).”

collops of fat on his loins He made a mouth on his loins, for his fat and the thickness of his blubber is folded on his loins, and they look like a sort of mouth.

And he dwelt in ruined cities So is the custom of haughty people, to build ruins for a name.

and his possessions will not remain They will not be preserved for long.

neither will...bend Heb. יטה, [like] ינטה, like (I Sam. 8:3), “and they turned (ויטו) after gain.” They themselves turned (וינטו). It means that they did not bend from heaven to earth. the gratification of their desire Heb. מנלם, the granting of their desire and the fulfillment of their plans. It is like two words, מן להם.

מן means their preparation, like (Dan. 1:5), “And the king prepared (וימן) for them.” Similar to it is (I Sam. 13:21), “a file (הפצירה פים),” in two words. [The analogy is obscure.] (Isa. 33:7), “Behold I will appear to them (אראלם),” which Jonathan renders: I will appear to them. So it appears to me, and Menachem supports me. Another explanation: מִנְלָם is an expression of (Isa. 33:1), “when you finish (כנלתך) dealing treacherously,” in which the “nun” is a radical that sometimes is omitted, an expression of completion. It will not bend to the ground to be freed from a decree of destruction.

and he will turn away from the world.

by the breath of His mouth Of the Ruler of the world. This is an ellipsis, Others interpret this to mean: because of the breath of his mouth that was guilty of speaking lies.

will not believe He who was misled by futility will not believe that his recompense and his toil shall be futility, like (Ruth 4:7), “and concerning exchange (התמורה).”

Before his time his recompense will be complete [and will cease] from growing and prospering anymore, like (Gen. 50:3), “were fulfilled for him,” i.e., they were completed.

and his branches His bent-over branches. All branches of a tree resemble a dome.

They conceive trouble and bear iniquity They commit evil and are recompensed. The recompense of the birth is in accordance with the conception.

prepares makes ready.

deceit Their desire shall be converted for them into deceit.