Job 32:13
New International Version
Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; let God, not a man, refute him.’

New Living Translation
And don’t tell me, ‘He is too wise for us. Only God can convince him.’

English Standard Version
Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not a man.’

Berean Standard Bible
So do not claim, ‘We have found wisdom; let God, not man, refute him.’

King James Bible
Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom: God thrusteth him down, not man.

New King James Version
Lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom’; God will vanquish him, not man.

New American Standard Bible
“So do not say, ‘We have found wisdom: God will defeat him, not man.’

NASB 1995
“Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; God will rout him, not man.’

NASB 1977
“Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; God will rout him, not man.’

Legacy Standard Bible
Lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom; God will drive him away, not man.’

Amplified Bible
“Beware if you say, ‘We have found wisdom; God thrusts Job down [justly], not man [for God alone is dealing with him].’

Christian Standard Bible
So do not claim, “We have found wisdom; let God deal with him, not man.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So do not claim, “We have found wisdom; let God deal with him, not man.”

American Standard Version
Beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not man:

Contemporary English Version
You shouldn't say, "We know what's right! Let God punish him."

English Revised Version
Beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not man:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So don't say, 'We've found wisdom. Let God, not humans, defeat him.'

Good News Translation
How can you claim you have discovered wisdom? God must answer Job, for you have failed.

International Standard Version
"So that you cannot claim, 'We have found wisdom!' let God do the rebuking, not man;

Majority Standard Bible
So do not claim, ‘We have found wisdom; let God, not man, refute him.’

NET Bible
So do not say, 'We have found wisdom! God will refute him, not man!'

New Heart English Bible
Beware lest you say, 'We have found wisdom, God may refute him, not man;'

Webster's Bible Translation
Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom: God thrusteth him down, not man.

World English Bible
Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom. God may refute him, not man;’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Lest you say, We have found wisdom, "" God thrusts him away, not man.

Young's Literal Translation
Lest ye say, We have found wisdom, God doth thrust him away, not man.

Smith's Literal Translation
Lest ye shall say, We found wisdom: God will thrust him, not man.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Lest you should say : We have found wisdom, God hath cast him down, not man.

Catholic Public Domain Version
So that you will not say, “We have found wisdom,” God has thrown him down, not man.

New American Bible
So do not say, “We have met wisdom; God can vanquish him but no mortal!”

New Revised Standard Version
Yet do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not a human.’
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So that you could not say, We have found wisdom. God has smitten him, not man.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For you say, ‘we have found wisdom; God is he who has wounded him, and not a son of man’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Beware lest ye say: 'We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not man!'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
lest ye should say, We have found that we have added wisdom to the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Elihu Rebukes Job's Three Friends
12I paid you full attention. But no one proved Job wrong; not one of you rebutted his arguments. 13So do not claim, ‘We have found wisdom; let God, not man, refute him.’ 14But Job has not directed his words against me, and I will not answer him with your arguments.…

Cross References
Job 12:13
Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His.

Job 28:28
And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Isaiah 40:13-14
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor? / Whom did He consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding?

Romans 11:33-34
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! / “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”

1 Corinthians 1:19-20
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” / Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

1 Corinthians 2:6-7
Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. / No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.

James 1:5
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Daniel 2:20-22
and declared: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. / He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. / He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.

Psalm 94:10-11
He who admonishes the nations, does He not discipline? He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge? / The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.

Isaiah 29:14
Therefore I will again confound these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”

Jeremiah 8:9
The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?

Ecclesiastes 2:26
To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Proverbs 21:30
There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.

1 Corinthians 3:19-20
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” / And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”


Treasury of Scripture

Lest you should say, We have found out wisdom: God thrusts him down, not man.

Lest

Genesis 14:23
That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

Judges 7:2
And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

Isaiah 48:5,7
I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them…

We

Job 12:2
No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

Job 15:8-10
Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? …

Isaiah 5:21
Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

God

Job 1:21
And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job 2:10
But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Job 4:9
By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

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Job 32
1. Elihu is angry with Job and his three friends
6. Because wisdom comes not from age, he excuses the boldness of his youth
11. He reproves them for not satisfying Job
16. His zeal to speak














So do not claim
This phrase serves as a caution against presumption. In the Hebrew context, the word for "claim" can be understood as asserting or boasting. Elihu, the speaker in this chapter, warns against the arrogance of assuming human wisdom is sufficient to understand or judge God's ways. This reflects a broader biblical theme that true wisdom comes from God alone (Proverbs 2:6).

‘We have found wisdom
The phrase suggests a self-congratulatory attitude, as if the speakers have achieved a complete understanding. In the Hebrew tradition, wisdom (חָכְמָה, chokmah) is not merely intellectual knowledge but a deep, spiritual insight that aligns with God's will. The Book of Job consistently challenges the notion that human wisdom can fully comprehend divine purposes, emphasizing the limitations of human understanding.

let God, not man
This highlights the sovereignty of God in matters of judgment and understanding. The Hebrew word for God here is "אֱלֹהִים" (Elohim), which underscores His power and authority. The phrase contrasts divine wisdom with human limitations, reminding readers that ultimate truth and justice are determined by God, not by human reasoning or debate.

refute him
The term "refute" implies correction or disproving. In the context of Job, Elihu suggests that only God has the authority and capability to correct or challenge Job's assertions. This reflects a key theme in the book: the inadequacy of human arguments in the face of divine wisdom. The Hebrew root for "refute" (יָכַח, yakach) often carries the connotation of reproof or discipline, indicating that God's correction is both authoritative and instructive.

(13) Lest ye should say.--That is, "I resolved to speak, lest ye should think yourselves wise, and that God was afflicting him on account of his sins." God is declaring his guilt in such a way that man's opinion matters little.

Verse 13. - Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom; or, beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom (see the Revised Version). "Do not suppose, i.e., that you have triumphed in the controversy, that your mode of meeting Job's complaints is the wise and right one. The exact reverse is the case. You have not vanquished Job. On the contrary, he is unvanquished, and remains master of the field. If he is ever to be vanquished, it will not be by you. God thrusteth (rather, may thrust) him down, not man. A true prophecy! (see Job 40:1-14).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So do not
פֶּן־ (pen-)
Conjunction
Strong's 6435: Removal, lest

claim,
תֹּ֣֭אמְרוּ (tō·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘We have found
מָצָ֣אנוּ (mā·ṣā·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

wisdom;
חָכְמָ֑ה (ḥāḵ·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2451: Wisdom

let God,
אֵ֖ל (’êl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 410: Strength -- as adjective, mighty, the Almighty

not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

man,
אִֽישׁ׃ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

refute him.’
יִדְּפֶ֣נּוּ (yid·də·p̄en·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5086: To shove asunder, disperse


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OT Poetry: Job 32:13 Beware lest you say 'We have found (Jb)
Job 32:12
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