Job 32:8

32:8 But it is a spirit in people,

the breath ¹  of the Almighty,

that makes them understand.

Psalms 51:6

51:6 Look, ²  you desire ³  integrity in the inner man; ⁴ 

you want me to possess wisdom. ⁵ 

Proverbs 2:6

2:6 For ⁶  the Lord gives ⁷  wisdom,

and from his mouth ⁸  comes ⁹  knowledge and understanding.

Ecclesiastes 2:26

2:26 For to the one who pleases him, ¹⁰  God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,

but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing ¹¹  wealth ¹²  –

only to give ¹³  it ¹⁴  to the one who pleases God.

This ¹⁵  task of the wicked ¹⁶  is futile – like chasing the wind!

James 1:5

1:5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.

James 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ¹⁷  is from above, coming down ¹⁸  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ¹⁹ 

[32:8]  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.

[51:6]  ² sn The juxtaposition of two occurrences of “look” in vv. 5-6 draws attention to the sharp contrast between the sinful reality of the psalmist’s condition and the lofty ideal God has for him.

[51:6]  ³ tn The perfect is used in a generalizing sense here.

[51:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “in the covered [places],” i.e., in the inner man.

[51:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “in the secret [place] wisdom you cause me to know.” The Hiphil verbal form is causative, while the imperfect is used in a modal sense to indicate God’s desire (note the parallel verb “desire”).

[2:6]  ⁶ tn This is a causal clause. The reason one must fear and know the Lord is that he is the source of true, effectual wisdom.

[2:6]  ⁷ tn The verb is an imperfect tense which probably functions as a habitual imperfect describing a universal truth in the past, present and future.

[2:6]  ⁸ sn This expression is an anthropomorphism; it indicates that the Lord is the immediate source or author of the wisdom. It is worth noting that in the incarnation many of these “anthropomorphisms” become literal in the person of the Logos, the Word, Jesus, who reveals the Father.

[2:6]  ⁹ tn The verb “comes” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.

[2:26]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for to a man who is good before him.”

[2:26]  ¹¹ sn The phrase the task of amassing wealth (Heb “the task of gathering and heaping up”) implicitly compares the work of the farmer reaping his crops and storing them up in a barn, to the work of the laborer amassing wealth as the fruit of his labor. However, rather than his storehouse being safe for the future, the sinner is deprived of it.

[2:26]  ¹² tn The word “wealth” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:26]  ¹³ sn The three-fold repetition of the Hebrew word translated “give” in the first part of this verse creates irony: God “gives” the righteous the ability to prosper and to find enjoyment in his work; but to the wicked He “gives” the task of “giving” his wealth to the righteous.

[2:26]  ¹⁴ tn The word “it” (an implied direct object) does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:26]  ¹⁵ tn The antecedent of the demonstrative pronoun זֶה (zeh, “this”) is debated: (1) Some refer it to the enjoyment which Qoheleth had just commended in 2:24-26. However, this is inconsistent with the enjoyment theme found elsewhere in the book. It also ignores the fact that 2:24-26 states that such enjoyment is a good gift from God. (2) Others refer it to the term “toil” (עָמָל, ’amal) which is repeated throughout 2:18-26. However, Qoheleth affirmed that if one is righteous, he can find enjoyment in his toil, even though so much of it is ultimately futile. (3) Therefore, it seems best to refer it to the grievous “task” (עִנְיָן, ’inyan) God has given to the sinner in 2:26b. Consistent with the meaning of הֶבֶל (hevel, “futile; profitless; fruitless”), 2:26b emphasizes that the “task” of the sinner is profitless: he labors hard to amass wealth, only to see the fruit of his labor given away to someone else. The righteous man’s enjoyment of his work and the fruit of his labor under the blessing of God (2:24-26a) is not included in this.

[2:26]  ¹⁶ tn The phrase “task of the wicked” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ¹⁷ tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

[1:17]  ¹⁸ tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

[1:17]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).