Job 33:3

"See now, I have opened my mouth. My tongue has spoken in my mouth."

Key Reflection

In Job 33:3, the speaker asserts that he has begun to speak with sincerity and directness. This verse reflects a common formula in Hebrew literature where the opening of one's mouth signifies the commencement of an important speech or revelation. The phrase "my tongue has spoken in my mouth" underscores the act of speaking from one’s heart, indicating a moment of profound truth or insight. This cultural context helps modern readers understand that the speaker is about to deliver a serious and weighty message, which contrasts with the lighter tone often found in Job's comforters' speeches.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart -I will speak in sincerity. I will utter nothing that shall be hollow and hypocritical. What I speak shall be the real suggestion of my heart - what I feel and know to be true. Perhaps Elihu was the more anxious to make this point entirely clear, because the three friends of Job might be supposed to have laid themselves open to the suspicion that they were influenced by passion or prejudice; that they had maintained their opinions from mere obstinacy and not from conviction; and that they had been sometimes disposed to cavil. Elihu claims that all that he was about to say would be entirely sincere.

More from Job 33

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