“Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I will speak.”
Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak — Elihu interrupts his own theological discourse with a direct address to Job, calling him to active, attentive listening. The command echoes the wisdom tradition's pedagogical imperatives (Proverbs 1-9) where the teacher calls for concentrated reception of instruction. Elihu's self-confidence is evident here — he believes he has something worth hearing, something the three friends could not articulate. The verse also reflects the real tension in the dialogue: Job has been speaking past his opponents rather than with them, and Elihu attempts to create genuine encounter.
Church Fathers on Job 33:31
—33. Attend, O Job, and hearken unto me, and hold thy peace while I speak. But if thou hast any thing to say, answer me; speak: for I wish thee to appear just. But if thou hast not, hearken unto me; hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom. He shews what opinion he has of himself by this expression in which he says, Attend, O Job, and hearken unto me, and hold thy peace while I speak. For it is enormous pride to exact respect from one’s elder, and to impose silence on…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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