Job 32:8-10

32:8 But it is a spirit in people,

the breath ¹  of the Almighty,

that makes them understand.

32:9 It is not the aged ²  who are wise,

nor old men who understand what is right.

32:10 Therefore I say, ‘Listen ³  to me.

I, even I, will explain what I know.’

Deuteronomy 4:5

4:5 Look! I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the Lord my God told me to do, so that you might carry them out in ⁴  the land you are about to enter and possess.

Psalms 71:17

71:17 O God, you have taught me since I was young,

and I am still declaring ⁵  your amazing deeds.

Acts 20:20

20:20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming ⁶  to you anything that would be helpful, ⁷  and from teaching you publicly ⁸  and from house to house,

¹ tn This is the word נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah, “breath”); according to Gen 2:7 it was breathed into Adam to make him a living person (“soul”). With that divine impartation came this spiritual understanding. Some commentators identify the רוּחַ (ruakh) in the first line as the Spirit of God; this “breath” would then be the human spirit. Whether Elihu knew that much, however, is hard to prove.

² tn The MT has “the great” or “the many,” meaning great in years according to the parallelism.

³ tc In most Hebrew mss this imperative is singular, and so addressed to Job. But two Hebrew mss and the versions have the plural. Elihu was probably addressing all of them.

⁴ tn Heb “in the midst of” (so ASV).

⁵ tn Heb “and until now I am declaring.”

⁶ tn Or “declaring.”

⁷ tn Or “profitable.” BDAG 960 s.v. συμφέρω 2.b.α has “τὰ συμφέροντα what advances your best interests or what is good for you Ac 20:20,” but the broader meaning (s.v. 2, “to be advantageous, help, confer a benefit, be profitable/useful”) is equally possible in this context.

⁸ tn Or “openly.”