Job 32:8

But [there is] a spirit in man,.... This seems to be a correction of his former sentiment; the consideration of which gave him encouragement, though young, to declare his opinion, since there is a

But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

But; or, surely; it must be confessed. A spirit, to wit, which gives him understanding, as is easily and fitly gathered out of the last words of the verse. And this is to be understood either, 1. Of the human spirit, or reasonable soul, which is in every man. So the sense of the place is, Every man, as a man, whether old or young, hath a reasonable soul, by which he is able in some measure to discern between good and evil, and to judge of men’ s opinions and discourses; and therefore I also may venture to deliver my opinion. Or, 2. Of the Spirit of God; the latter clause being explicatory of the former, according to the manner. So the sense is, I expected a true and full discovery of the truth in this controversy from persons of your years, wisdom, and experience. But upon second thoughts I consider that the knowledge of these deep and Divine mysteries is not to be had or expected from any man as such, though never so aged or wise; but only from God’ s Spirit, which alone knoweth the deep things of God. And this Spirit he saith is in man; not in every man, for the words are not universal, but indefinite, and man in this branch is no larger than them who receive Divine inspiration in the next branch. And so the sense is, God is pleased to give his Spirit unto mankind, unto men of all ages and qualities, as tie pleaseth; and having given it in some measure to me, I may take the boldness to utter my thoughts. The inspiration of the Almighty, i.e. God’ s Spirit, or the gracious gifts thereof breathed or infused into man’ s soul by God. Understanding, to wit, in divine and spiritual matters, which are the matter of this debate and book.

Job 32:8 But [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Ver. 8. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty] Or, Surely there is a spirit in man, but the inspiration, &c. Man hath a reasonable soul and a natural judgment, whereby he differeth from brute beasts; and not only so, but some there are that do animam excolere, as Cicero and Aristotle; they improve their natural abilities by art, and so go far beyond others in worth; differing from the unlearned as much almost as a man doth from a beast. Lo, such a spirit there is in some men; which yet amounteth not to wisdom without the concurrence of God’ s good Spirit to sanctify all, as the altar sanctifieth the gold of the altar. If this be not attained unto, the wiser any man is the vainer he proveth, Romans 1:22. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of those wise (even of the choicest and most picked men among them) that they are vain, 1 Corinthians 3:20. And to such we may say, as Austin once wrote to a man of great parts, Ornari abs te diabotus quaerit, the devil desireth to be tricked up by thee. And the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding] He is the wise man, when all is done, whom, whether old or young, the Spirit of God, who acteth most freely, is pleased to imbreathe. And although arts and age be good helps to knowledge, yet they must be all taught of God that shall be wise unto salvation; and such as these, the older they grow the wiser they are, for the most part; and if young saints, they become old angels. True it is, that God is debtor to none; neither doth a longer life of itself deserve anything at God’ s hands; because the longer they live the more sins they commit. But yet the promise is, that to him that hath shall be given, and he shall abound. "The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean bands shall be stronger and stronger," Job 17:9. Howbeit, some good men’ s first days have been their best days; and they have suffered no small decays in their spiritual intellect; as did Solomon, Asa, Joash, and perhaps these three friends of Job, to whom this speech is directed. Certain it is that he is a rare and a happy man of whom it may be said, in a spiritual sense (as it was said of Moses), that, after long profession of religion, his sight is not waxed dim, nor his holy heat abated. The heathen sages have cause to admonish us to take heed of old age; as that which cometh not alone, but is itself a disease, and ever accompanied with many maladies, both of body and mind.

(8) But there is a spirit in man.—Rather, But it is the spirit in man.And the inspiration of the Almighty.—Rather, And the breath of the Almighty that giveth them understanding. It is the expression used in the Mosaic narrative of the origin of man, and may perhaps show acquaintance on the part of the writer with that narrative (Genesis 2:7). Elihu means to say that it is not years so much as the spirit and illumination of the Almighty that maketh a man pre-eminent in wisdom.

Verse 8. But there is a spirit in man] Mr. Good translates: - "But surely there is an afflation in mankind, And the inspiration of the Almighty actuateth them." Coverdale, thus: - Every man (no doute) hath a mynde; but it is the inspyracion of the Almightie that geveth understondinge. I will now offer my own opinion, but first give the original text: רוח היא באנוש ונשמת שדי תבינם ruach hi beenosh venishmath shaddai tebinem. "The spirit itself is in miserable man, and the breath of the Almighty causeth them to understand," How true is it that in God we live, move, and have our being! The spirit itself is in man as the spring or fountain of his animal existence, and by the afflatus of this spirit he becomes capable of understanding and reason, and consequently of discerning Divine truth. The animal and intellectual lives are here stated to be from God; and this appears to be an allusion to man's creation, Genesis 2:7: "And God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of lives," נשמת חיים nishmath chaiyim, i.e., animal and intellectual, and thus he became a living soul, nephesh chaiyah, a rational animal. When man fell from God, the Spirit of God was grieved, and departed from him; but was restored, as the enlightener and corrector, in virtue of the purposed incarnation and atonement of our Lord Jesus; hence, he is "the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world," John 1:9. That afflatus is therefore still continued to אנוש enosh, man, in his wretched, fallen state; and it is by that Spirit, the רוח אלהים Ruach Elohim, "the Spirit of the merciful or covenant God," that we have any conscience, knowledge of good and evil, judgment in Divine things, and, in a word, capability of being saved. And when, through the light of that Spirit, convincing of sin, righteousness, and judgment, the sinner turns to God through Christ, and finds redemption in his blood, the remission of sins; then it is the office of that same Spirit to give him understanding of the great work that has been done in and for him; "for the Spirit itself (αυτοτοπνευμα, Romans 8:16, the same words in Greek as the Hebrew רוח היא ruach hi of Elihu) beareth witness with his spirit that he is a child of God." It is the same Spirit which sanctifies, the same Spirit that seals, and the same Spirit that lives and works in the believer, guiding him by his counsel till it leads him into glory. In this one saying, independently of the above paraphrase, Elihu spoke more sense and sound doctrine than all Job's friends did in the whole of the controversy.

8. the inspiration of the Almighty] lit. the breath of the Almighty, as ch. Job 33:4. Both “spirit” and “breath” refer to God’s spirit of life breathed into man when he is brought into existence (Genesis 2:7), there is no allusion to any extraordinary illumination given to Elihu at the moment when he speaks. This spirit of God is a spirit of intelligence as well as of life (ch. Job 33:4), and under the impulse of the crowding thoughts which rush into his mind at this instant Elihu feels that this spirit has been given to himself in great fulness.

But there is a spirit in man - This evidently refers to a spirit imparted from above; a spirit from the Almighty.

8. But there is a spirit in man — Literally, But the Spirit, it is in mortal man; or, ψεηδιΰ, the Spirit itself is, etc.