Job 32:14

Job 32:14 Now he hath not directed [his] words against me: neither will I answer him with your speeches.

Ver. 14. Now he hath not directed his speech against me] And so I have no particular edge or grudge against him, he hath no reason to think that I come prejudicated or exasperated. This Elihu speaketh purposely, to get within Job; that he might the better persuade with him. We must endeavour to preserve in the party with whom we would prevail an opinion of our love and good affection to him; for else we shall lose all our sweet words, since man is a cross and crabbed creature; duci vult, trahi non vult, lead him you may, drag him you must not.

Neither will I answer him with your speeches] But with better; he shall have from me soft words and hard arguments; I will come over him in a milder manner, and to better purpose; while, moved merely by a zeal for God’s glory, I shall show him his miscarriages, not in mine own words, but in God’s. That is a true saying of learned Junius, Personatae reprehensiones frigent; plurimumque interest ex animo omnia, ut conscientia fert animusque, facias; an de industria.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Job 32:14. He hath not directed his words against me — I am not engaged in this dispute by any provoking words of Job, as you have been, which have excited your passions, and biased your judgments; but I speak merely from zeal for the vindication of God’s honour, and from love to truth and justice, and a sincere desire to administer to Job matter both of conviction and comfort. Neither will I answer him with your speeches — With such words or arguments as yours, either weak and impertinent, or opprobious and provoking. As Job did not direct any of his words against me, so I shall not trouble him with any of your replies.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To wit, Job.

He useth almost the like arguments, but without taunting and reproaches.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

I am altogether unprejudiced. For it is not I, whom he addressed. "Your speeches" have been influenced by irritation.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 14. He hath not directed] I am no party in this controversy; I have no party feeling in it: he has not spoken a word against me, therefore I have no cause of irritation. I shall speak for truth; not for conquest or revenge. Neither will I answer him with your speeches; your passions have been inflamed by contradiction, and you have spoken foolishly with your lips.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Now he hath not directed his words against me,.... That is, Job had not directed his speech to him, or levelled his arguments against him; he had not set himself and his words in battle array against him, as the word signifies; he had not lashed and irritated him as he had them; and therefore he came into the dispute calm and unprovoked, having nothing in view but truth, the glory of God, and the good of Job; and therefore hoped for better success than they had had:

neither will I answer him with your speeches; he proposed to take a new and different method from them, as he did; for he never charges Job with any sin or sins, or a course of living in a sinful manner, before those afflictions came upon him, and as the cause of them; he only takes notice of what was amiss in him since his afflictions, and what dropped from him in the heat of this controversy, rash and unbecoming speeches, which reflected upon the honour and justice of God; and if he made use of any words and arguments similar to theirs, yet to another purpose, and in a milder and gentler manner.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Now, he hath not directed his words against me - Margin, “ordered.” The meaning of this expression is, “I can approach this subject in a wholly dispassionate and unprejudiced manner. I have had none of the provocations which you have felt; his harsh and severe remarks have not fallen on me as they have on you, and I can come to the subject with the utmost coolness.” The object is to show that he was not irritated, and that he would be under no temptation to use words from the influence of passion or any other than those which conveyed the simple truth. He seems disposed to admit that Job had given some occasion for severe remarks, by the manner in which be had treated his friends.

Neither will I answer him with your speeches - They also had been wrong. They had given way to passion, and had indulged in severity of language, rather than pursued a simple and calm course of argument. From all this, Eliha says he was free, and could approach the subject in the most calm and dispassionate manner. He had had no temptation to indulge in severity of language like theirs, and he would not do it.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He; Job, or God. I do not pretend that I have had any revelation, like Eliphas and Sophar, chap. iv. 12., and xi. 5. Job has addressed himself to you; (Calmet) but I shall not answer him as you have done. (Menochius) --- Those who neither believe Catholics, nor their own teachers, but rely on the private spirit, think that the answers which have been given to others, on the same points, do not regard them. (St. Gregory) (Worthington)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

I am not engaged in this discourse by any provoking words of Job, as you have been, which hath drawn forth your passions and biassed your judgments; but merely from zeal for the vindication of God’s honour, and love to truth and justice, and a sincere desire to administer to Job matter both of conviction and of comfort. With your words, i.e. with such words or arguments as yours, either weak and impertinent, or fierce and opprobrious.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. He — Job.

Directed — Better, arrayed. ערךְ is a military word used in a forensic sense, Job_13:18. With your speeches — Elihu will not argue in their offensive and passionate manner, as he has no hard blows dealt by Job to resent. He proposes to “limit his censure to Job’s answer in this dispute.” Elihu can enter the debate free from prejudice and animosity.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now he hath not directed his words against me. Elihu thinks that he can interfere in the controversy with the better prospect of a good result, since he is untouched by any of Job"s words, and can therefore speak without passion or resentment. Neither will I answer him with your speeches. He is also going to bring forward fresh arguments, which, as they avoid the line taken by the three friends, may soothe, instead of exasperating, the patriarch.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He did not set up words against me This is a plaint: Woe that he did not set up words against me.

I would not reply to him with your sayings I would not reply to him with those sayings with which you replied to him.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.