Albert Barnes Commentary Job 11:3

"Should thy boastings make men hold their peace? And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?" — Job 11:3 (ASV)

Should your lies - Margin, “devices.” Rosenmuller renders this, “should men bear your boastings with silence?” Dr. Good, “before you would mankind keep silence?” Vulgate, “tibi soli tacebunt homines?” “Shall men be silent before you alone?” The Septuagint renders the whole passage, “he who speaks much should also hear in turn; else the fine speaker (εὔλαλος eulalos) thinks himself just. - Blessed be the short-lived offspring of woman. Be not profuse of words, for there is no one that judges against you, and do not say that I am pure in works and blameless before him?”

How this was made out of the Hebrew, or what is its exact sense, I am unable to say.

There can be no doubt, I think, that our present translation is altogether too harsh, and that Zophar by no means designs to charge Job with uttering lies. The Hebrew word commonly used for lies is wholly different from that which is used here.

The word here (בד bad) properly denotes “separation;” then a part; and in various combinations as a preposition, such as “alone separate” and “besides.” Then the noun means empty talk, vain boasting; and then it may denote lies or falsehood. The leading idea is that of separation or of remoteness from anything, as from prudence, wisdom, propriety, or truth. It is a general term, like our word “bad,” which I presume has been derived from this Hebrew word (בד bad), or from the Arabic “bad.” In the plural (בדים badı̂ym) it is rendered “liars” in Isaiah 44:25 and Jeremiah 50:36; “lies” in Job 11:3, Isaiah 16:6, and Jeremiah 48:30; and “parts” in Job 41:12.

It is also often rendered “staves” (Exodus 27:6; Exodus 25:14–15; Exodus 25:28, and in other passages). That it may mean “lies” here I admit, but it may also mean talk that is aside from propriety, and may refer here to a kind of discourse that was destitute of propriety, empty, vain talk.

And when you mock - That is, “should you be permitted to use the language of reproach and of complaint, and no one attempt to make you sensible of its impropriety?” The complaints and arguments of Job he represented as in fact mocking God.

Shall no man make you ashamed? - Shall no one show you the impropriety of it, and bring your mind to a sense of shame for what it has done? This was what Zophar now proposed to do.