Men of understanding will say to me: this verse in the Hebrew has two parallel lines with the verb in the first line serving for both lines. Men of understanding is the same as the expression used in verse 10. See there for comments. The wise man in line b matches “men of heart” or Men of understanding in line a. Translators may prefer to bring the two lines of verse 34 together; for example, “People with good sense, who are intelligent and listen to me, say to me” or “Wise and intelligent people who hear me will say to me.”

What the wise people in verse 34 will say is Job speaks without knowledge. In 33.3 Elihu boasts that he himself speaks words that are sincere and truthful. Without knowledge means “with ignorance, without knowing what he is talking about.” In 15.2 Eliphaz accused Job of having only “windy knowledge.” Job’s words are without insight, which Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates “without rhyme or reason.” Job’s speech is senseless, or as Good News Translation says, “makes no sense.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .