For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat.
For the ear tests words, just as the mouth tastes food.
This verse is saying that we should carefully evaluate what we hear, just like we naturally taste food before we swallow it.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Job, Elihu is speaking to Job and his friends during a heated discussion about Job's suffering and God's justice, as Elihu seeks to offer a younger perspective after the older friends have spoken. He uses this metaphor to emphasize the need for careful evaluation of words, comparing it to tasting food, which was a common way in ancient wisdom literature to convey ideas about discernment. This reflects the cultural practice in the ancient Near East, where proverbs were used to teach ethical and moral truths in everyday language.
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