Job 21:3

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 21:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Suffer me, and I also will speak; And after that I have spoken, mock on.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Suffer me, and I also will speak; And after that I have spoken, mock on.
Job 21:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 21

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
3Suffer me, and I also will speak; And after that I have spoken, mock on.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Suffer me that I may speak, etc.] To go on with his discourse, without any interruption, until he had finished it; as he before craves their attention, here he entreats their patience to hear him out, as well as to give him leave to begin; they might by their gestures seem as if they were breaking up and departing; or they raised a tumultuous clamour, to hinder his proceeding to reply; or he might fear, that if he was allowed to speak, they would break in upon him before he had done, as they had already; or “bear me”, as several of the Jewish commentators explain the phrase; though what he was going to say might sit heavy upon their minds, and be very burdensome, grating, and uneasy to them;…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“literally, "Begin your mockings" (Job 17:2).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Suffer me that I may speak - Allow me to speak without interruption, or bear with me while I freely express my sentiments - it is all that I now ask. And after that I have spoken, mock on - Resume your reproaches, if you will, when I am done. I ask only the privilege of expressing my thoughts on a very important point, and when that is done, I will allow you to resume your remarks as you have done before, and you may utter your sentiments without interruption. Or it may be, that Job utters this in a kind of triumph, and that he feels that what he was about to say was so important that it would end the “argument;” and that all they could say after that would be mere mockery and reviling. The…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Speak - without interruption. Mock - If I do not defend my cause with solid arguments, go on in your scoffs. Job 21:4”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“that I may: Job 13:13, Job 33:31-33 mock on: Job 12:4, Job 12:5, Job 13:9, Job 16:10, Job 16:20, Job 17:2 Job 21:4”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification