Rashi on Job Chapter 32
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(מענה אליהוא:) מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת רָם. אַבְרָהָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״הָאָדָם הַגָּדוֹל בָּעֲנָקִים״ (יהושע יד:טו) – זֶה אַבְרָהָם:
Elihu’s Address of the family of Ram Abraham, as it is stated (Josh. 14:15): “the greatest man among the Anakim.” This is Abraham.
מֵאֱלֹהִים. יוֹתֵר מִן הַמָּקוֹם:
than God More than the Omnipresent.
וַיַּרְשִׁיעוּ אֶת אִיּוֹב. זֶה אֶחָד מִן הַמִּקְרָאוֹת שֶׁתִּקְּנוּ סוֹפְרִים אֶת לְשׁוֹן הַכָּתוּב: ״וַיַּרְשִׁיעוּ כְּלַפֵּי הַמָּקוֹם בִּשְׁתִיקוֹתָם״ הָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב, אֶלָּא שֶׁכִּנָּה הַכָּתוּב. וְכֵן ״וַיָּמִירוּ אֶת כְּבוֹדָם בְּתַבְנִית שׁוֹר״ (תהלים קו:כ) – ״כְּבוֹדִי״ הָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב, אֶלָּא שֶׁכִּנָּה הַכָּתוּב. וְכֵן ״וְאַל אֶרְאֶה בְּרָעָתִי״ (במדבר יא:טו) – ״בְּרָעָתָם״ הָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב, אֶלָּא שֶׁכִּנָּה הַכָּתוּב. וְכֵן הַרְבֵּה מְקוֹמוֹת (ספרי במדבר פד) וּבַמָּסֹרֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה:
and condemned Job This is one of the verses wherein the Scribes rectified the language of the Scripture. “And they condemned,” as directed against the Omnipresent, by remaining silent, should have been written, but Scripture euphemized. Similarly (Num. 11:15), “and do not let me see my misfortune.” It should have been written: “and do not let me see their misfortune,” but Scripture euphemized, and so many [other] instances, in Sifrei (ad loc.) and in the Great Masorah.
חִכָּה. הִמְתִּין:
כִּי זְקֵנִים הֵמָּה מִמֶּנּוּ לְיָמִים. הָאֲחֵרִים, לָכֵן חָדַל לוֹ עַד שֶׁשָּׁתְקוּ הֵם:
because they were older than he in days [i.e.,] the others [were older than he]. Therefore, he refrained until they were still.
זָחַלְתִּי. יָרֵאתִי:
אָכֵן רוּחַ הִיא בֶאֱנוֹשׁ. הַחָכְמָה, וְלֹא עַל יְדֵי יָמִים וְזִקְנָה, אֶלָּא רוּחַ הַמָּקוֹם הוּא:
Indeed, it is a spirit in man Wisdom [is a spirit in man] and [comes] not through days or old age, but it is the spirit of the Omnipresent.
וְעָדֵיכֶם אֶתְבּוֹנָן. הִתְבּוֹנַנְתִּי בָּכֶם וְרָאִיתִי, כִּי אֵין מוֹכִיחַ לְאִיּוֹב:
Yea, I attended to you I attended to you, and I saw that there is no one to convince Job.
פֶּן תֹּאמְרוּ מָצָאנוּ חָכְמָה. בִּשְׁתִיקוּתֵינוּ, שֶׁלֹּא לְהַקְנִיטוֹ עוֹד, כִּי אֵל יִדְּפֶנּוּ וְלֹא אִישׁ. לֹא הָיָה לָכֶם לְמַעֵט כְּבוֹד הַמָּקוֹם בְּכָךְ:
Lest you say You shall not say We have found wisdom by remaining silent in order not to provoke him anymore. for God will crush him and not a man You should not have belittled the honor of the Omnipresent thereby.
וְלֹא עָרַךְ אֵלַי מִלִּין. קַבָּלָה הִיא, אוֹ שֶׁלֹּא עָרַךְ אֵלַי מִלִּין:
He did not set up words against me This is a plaint: Woe that he did not set up words against me.
וּבְאִמְרֵיכֶם לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ. לֹא בְּאוֹתָן אֲמָרִים שֶׁהֲשִׁיבוֹתֶם לוֹ, הָיִיתִי מְשִׁיבוֹ:
I would not reply to him with your sayings I would not reply to him with those sayings with which you replied to him.
הֶעְתִּיקוּ. סָרוּ מֵהֶן מִלִּין:
have removed themselves Words have turned away from them.
הִנֵּה בִטְנִי. מָלֵא רוּחַ, דְּבָרִים לְהָשִׁיב בְּתַאֲוָה:
Behold my belly is full of wind, words to answer eagerly.
כְּיַיִן לֹא יִפָּתֵחַ. כְּיַיִן חָדָשׁ שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִפְתָּח, וְהוּא נוֹפֵחַ, וְאַף בְּתוֹךְ אוֹבוֹת חֲדָשִׁים, וּמְבַקְּעָם:
like wine that is not opened Like new wine that is not opened, and which blows up, and even [if it is] within new wineskins, it bursts them.
אוֹבוֹת. נוֹדוֹת עֲשׂוּיִין כְּקוֹמַת אָדָם, גְּבוֹהִים:
like...wineskins Wineskins made as tall as a man’s height.
לֹא אֲכַנֶּה. לֹא אֲשַׁנֶּה דְבָרַי לְהַחֲלִיפוֹ לִכְבוֹדוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְמַעְלָה ״וַיַּרְשִׁיעוּ אֶת אִיּוֹב״ (איוב לב:ג) – זֶהוּ ׳כִּנּוּי׳, שֶׁמְּשַׁנֶּה אֶת הַדִּבּוּר בִּשְׁבִיל כְּבוֹדוֹ. וְאַף זֹאת לֹא אֶעֱשֶׂה, כִּי בְּפֶה מָלֵא אוֹכִיחֶנּוּ:
neither will I euphemize I will not change my words to replace them [with milder expressions] in deference to his [Job’s] honor, as I said above, “And they condemned Job.” This is a euphemism, which changes the expression because of His honor. I will not even do this, but I will reprove him explicitly.
כִּמְעַט יִשָּׂאֵנִי. יְסַלְּקֵנִי מִן הָעוֹלָם. וְיֵשׁ פּוֹתְרִים יִשָּׂאֵנִי כְּמוֹ ״וַתִּשָּׂא הָאָרֶץ מִפָּנָיו״ (נחום א:ה):
or else...would carry me away He would take me away from the world. Others interpret יִשָׂאֵנִי like (Nahum 1:5), “and the land raised up (ותשא) from before me [a pillar of smoke].”