Job 15:2-3

15:2 “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, ¹ 

or fill his belly ²  with the east wind? ³ 

15:3 Does he argue ⁴  with useless ⁵  talk,

with words that have no value in them?

[15:2]  ¹ tn The Hebrew is דַעַת־רוּחַ (da’at-ruakh). This means knowledge without any content, vain knowledge.

[15:2]  ² tn The image is rather graphic. It is saying that he puffs himself up with the wind and then brings out of his mouth blasts of this wind.

[15:2]  ³ tn The word for “east wind,” קָדִים (qadim), is parallel to “spirit/wind” also in Hos 12:2. The east wind is maleficent, but here in the parallelism it is so much hot air.

[15:3]  ⁴ tn The infinitive absolute in this place is functioning either as an explanatory adverb or as a finite verb.

[15:3]  ⁵ tn The verb סָכַן (sakhan) means “to be useful, profitable.” It is found 5 times in the book with this meaning. The Hiphil of יָעַל (ya’al) has the same connotation. E. LipinÃski offers a new meaning on a second root, “incur danger” or “run risks” with words, but this does not fit the parallelism (FO 21 [1980]: 65-82).