New King James Version
Job 32:9
9Great men are not always wise, Nor do the aged always understand justice.
Job 32:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.
- New International Version (NIV)It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.
- English Standard Version (ESV)It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Sometimes the elders are not wise. Sometimes the aged do not understand justice.
Context of Job 32:9
7I said, ‘Age should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.’ 8But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, Nor do the aged always understand justice. 10“Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.’ 11Indeed I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.
Read all of Job 32Job 32:9 word by word
לֹֽא־רַבִּ֥ים יֶחְכָּ֑מוּ וּ֝זְקֵנִ֗ים יָבִ֥ינוּ מִשְׁפָּֽט׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 32:9
- Jeremiah 5:5I will go to the great men and speak to them, For they have known the way of the Lord, The judgment of their God.” But these have altogether broken the yoke And burst the bonds.
- Matthew 11:25At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.
- John 7:48Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?
- 1 Corinthians 1:26For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
- 1 Corinthians 2:7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
- James 2:6But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
- Job 12:20He deprives the trusted ones of speech, And takes away the discernment of the elders.
- Ecclesiastes 4:13Better a poor and wise youth Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
Commentaries on Job 32:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Great men are not always wise - This is a true saying, which the experience of every age and every country increasingly verifies. And it is most certain that, in the case before us, the aged did not understand judgment; they had a great many wise and good sayings, which they had collected, but showed neither wisdom nor discretion in applying them.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Great men are not always wise - Though wisdom may in general be looked for in them, yet it is not universally true. Great men here denote those who are distinguished for rank, age, authority. Neither do the aged understand judgment - That is, they do not always understand it. The word judgment here means right, truth. They do not always understand what is the exact truth in regard to the divine administration. This is an apology for what he was about to…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-14Verses 6-14 Elihu professes to speak by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and corrects both parties. He allowed that those who had the longest experience should speak first. But God gives wisdom as he pleases; this encouraged him to state his opinion. By attention to the word of God, and dependence upon the Holy Spirit, young men may become wiser than the aged; but this wisdom will render them swift to hear, slow to speak, and disposed to give others a…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-9The spirit in a man might not be God's Spirit of prophecy that Elihu later mentions, as Eliphaz had done (33:14–15; 4:12–17; compare 32:18–20). This spirit might simply exist because of creation (33:4; Genesis 2:7; Acts 17:25).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. Great--rather, "old" (Job 32:6). So Hebrew, in Ge 25:23. "Greater, less" for the older, the younger. judgment--what is right.Read the comment
Topics related to Job 32:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 32
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries