King James Version

Job 13:5

O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

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Hebrew

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מִֽיmiwhoמִיparticle, interrogative — “who”H4310who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffixany (man), [idiom] he, [idiom] him, [phrase] O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), [phrase] would to God.יִ֭תֵּןyitengiveנָתַןverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “give”, an unfinished actionH5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] wi…הַחֲרֵ֣שׁhachareshbe deafחָרַשׁverb, hiphil, infinitive absolute — “be deaf”, the verb used for emphasisH2790to scratch, i.e. (by implication) to engrave, plough; hence (from the use of tools) to fabricate (of any material); figuratively, to devise (in a bad sense); hence (from the idea of secrecy) to be silent, to let alone; hence (by implication) to be deaf (as an accompaniment of dumbness)[idiom] altogether, cease, conceal, be deaf, devise, ear, graven, imagine, leave off speaking, hold peace, plow(-er, man), be quiet, rest, practise secretly, keep silence, be silent, speak not a word, be still, hold tongue, worker.תַּחֲרִישׁ֑וּןtacharishunbe deafחָרַשׁverb, hiphil, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, plural, paragogic nun — “be deaf”, an unfinished actionH2790to scratch, i.e. (by implication) to engrave, plough; hence (from the use of tools) to fabricate (of any material); figuratively, to devise (in a bad sense); hence (from the idea of secrecy) to be silent, to let alone; hence (by implication) to be deaf (as an accompaniment of dumbness)[idiom] altogether, cease, conceal, be deaf, devise, ear, graven, imagine, leave off speaking, hold peace, plow(-er, man), be quiet, rest, practise secretly, keep silence, be silent, speak not a word, be still, hold tongue, worker.וּתְהִ֖יutehiand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and be”, an unfinished actionH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.לָכֶ֣םlakhemtoלָכֶ֣םpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “to”toלְחָכְמָֽהlechakhemahto wisdomחׇכְמָהpreposition, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “to wisdom”, the ordinary formH2451wisdom (in a good sense)skilful, wisdom, wisely, wit.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it would be your wisdom.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace! And it would be your wisdom.

Young’s Literal Translation

O that ye would keep perfectly silent, And it would be to you for wisdom.

World English Bible

Oh that you would be completely silent! Then you would be wise.

Darby Translation

Oh that ye would be altogether silent! and it would be your wisdom.

Douay-Rheims

And I wish you would hold your peace, that you might be thought to be wise men.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it would be your wisdom.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

But would that ye were silent, and it would be wisdom to you in the end.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Εἴη δὲ ὑμῖν κωφεῦσαι, καὶ ἀποβήσεται ὑμῖν σοφία.