Texts in Conversation
Job recalls a time when leaders and nobles fell silent in his presence, covering their mouths with their hands. The Wisdom of Solomon echoes this idiom, describing rulers waiting in silence for him to finish speaking, their hands over their mouths.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Job 29:9
Hebrew Bible
7 When I went out to the city gate and secured my seat in the public square, 8 the young men would see me and step aside, and the old men would get up and remain standing; 9 the chief men refrained from talking and covered their mouths with their hands; 10 the voices of the nobles fell silent, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. 11 “As soon as the ear heard these things, it blessed me, and when the eye saw them, it bore witness to me;
Date: 500–401 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Wisdom of Solomon 8:12
Deuterocanon
10 Because of her, I will have glory among multitudes, and honor in the sight of elders, though I am young. 11 I will be found keen when I give judgment. I will be admired in the presence of rulers. 12 When I am silent, they will wait for me. When I open my lips, they will heed what I say. If I continue speaking, they will put their hands on their mouths. 13 Because of her, I will have immortality, and leave behind an eternal memory to those who come after me. 14 I will govern peoples. Nations will be subjected to me.
Date: 50 BCE – 50 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Job expects their silent attention when he himself speaks (Job 13:13, 17). Later on, he reminds his friends of previous times, when he still received respect from the community. In the past, when he spoke people were silently listening to him (Job 29:9-10, 21-22). It is quite clear that Job considered himself a wise king whose argument could not be countered. What should be avoided above all is self-praise ... According to the Wisdom of Solomon 8:12 other rulers will wait for the king to resume when he falls silent and will put their hands to their mouth when he speaks at length ..."
Marjo C. A. Korpel and Johannes C. de Moor, The Silent God (Leiden: Brill, 2011), 94–95.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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