1 Chronicles 29:1

The People Contribute to the Project

29:1 King David said to the entire assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is just an inexperienced young man, ¹  and the task is great, for this palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.

Job 32:6-8

Elihu Claims Wisdom

32:6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up: ² 

“I am young, ³  but you are elderly;

that is why I was fearful, ⁴ 

and afraid to explain ⁵  to you what I know.

32:7 I said to myself, ‘Age ⁶  should speak, ⁷ 

and length of years ⁸  should make wisdom known.’

32:8 But it is a spirit in people,

the breath ⁹  of the Almighty,

that makes them understand.

Ecclesiastes 10:16

The Problem with Foolish Rulers

10:16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish, ¹⁰ 

and your princes feast in the morning!

Jeremiah 1:6

1:6 I answered, “Oh, Lord God, ¹¹  I really ¹²  do not know how to speak well enough for that, ¹³  for I am too young.” ¹⁴ 

Matthew 18:3-4

18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, ¹⁵  unless you turn around and become like little children, ¹⁶  you will never ¹⁷  enter the kingdom of heaven! 18:4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

[29:1]  ¹ tn Heb “a young man and tender.”

[32:6]  ² tn Heb “answered and said.”

[32:6]  ³ tn The text has “small in days.”

[32:6]  ⁴ tn The verb זָחַלְתִּי (zakhalti) is found only here in the OT, but it is found in a ninth century Aramaic inscription as well as in Biblical Aramaic. It has the meaning “to be timid” (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 208).

[32:6]  ⁵ tn The Piel infinitive with the preposition (מֵחַוֹּת, mekhavvot) means “from explaining.” The phrase is the complement: “explain” what Elihu feared.

[32:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “days.”

[32:7]  ⁷ tn The imperfect here is to be classified as an obligatory imperfect.

[32:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “abundance of years.”

[32:8]  ⁹ 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.

[10:16]  ¹⁰ tn Or “a child”; or “a servant.” The term נַעַר (na’ar) has a wide range of meanings (HALOT 707 s.v. נַעַר; BDB 654–55 s.v. II נַעַר). Used in reference to age, it may refer to an infant (Exod 2:6; Judg 13:5; 1 Sam 1:22; 4:21; 2 Sam 12:16), a child just weaned (1 Sam 1:24), an adolescent in puberty (1 Sam 16:11), or a young man of marriageable age (Gen 34:19; 2 Sam 14:21; 18:5, 12). Its technical or titular use denotes “servant” (Num 22:22; Judg 7:10-11; 19:3; 1 Sam 3:9; 2 Sam 16:1; 2 Kgs 4:12, 25; 19:6), “retainer; attendant; follower” (Gen 14:24; 1 Sam 25:5; 2 Sam 2:14; 2 Kgs 19:6; Isa 37:6; Job 1:15-17; Neh 4:10, 17) and “soldier” (1 Kgs 20:15-16). The parallel Ugaritic term is used in reference to physical age (lad; son; youth) and in a technical sense (guild members; servitors; soldiers); see UT 19.445. The LXX rendered it with νεώτερος (newteros, “youthful”). The English versions vary: “child,” (KJV, ASV, NASB, MLB, RSV, NRSV margin, NIV margin); “childish” (NIV margin); “servant” or “slave” (NEB, NAB, ASV margin, NRSV, NIV); and “lackey” (NJPS). When used in reference to rulers, it emphasizes incompetence, naiveté, inexperience, and immaturity (Isa 3:4, 9; 1 Kgs 3:7). This use must be understood in the light of the parallel antonym: “son of freemen” (בֶּן־חוֹרִים, ben-khorim). This suggests “servant,” that is, one who was not well trained and prepared by noble birth to ascend to the throne.

[1:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.”

[1:6]  ¹² tn Heb “Behold, I do not know how to speak.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, commonly rendered “behold”) often introduces a speech and calls special attention to a specific word or the statement as a whole (see IBHS 675-78 §40.2.1).

[1:6]  ¹³ tn The words “well enough for that” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity. Jeremiah is not claiming an absolute inability to speak.

[1:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I am a boy/youth.” The Hebrew word can refer to an infant (Exod 2:6), a young boy (1 Sam 2:11), a teenager (Gen 21:12), or a young man (2 Sam 18:5). The translation is deliberately ambiguous since it is unclear how old Jeremiah was when he was called to begin prophesying.

[18:3]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:3]  ¹⁶ sn The point of the comparison become like little children has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit, as well as willingness to be dependent and receive from others, than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[18:3]  ¹⁷ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.