We build worlds with words - and we can also destroy worlds with words.
Half way through the Book of Job he’s simply had enough of them. All the lofty speeches and pious talk has him weighed down. Enough, he whimpers, stop already. Please shut up. It sounds more weighty here:
שָׁמַעְתִּי כְאֵלֶּה רַבּוֹת מְנַחֲמֵי עָמָל כֻּלְּכֶם׃
הֲקֵץ לְדִבְרֵי־רוּחַ אוֹ מַה־יַּמְרִיצְךָ כִּי תַעֲנֶה׃
"I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all! Is there an end to windy words?" –
Job 16:2-3
Job's cry speaks to his exhaustion with his friends’ endless philosophizing - and I’m sure we can all sympathize. How many articles, podcasts, and thoughtful hand wringing op-eds on ‘the situation’ do we come across each day?
But what are those ‘windy words’ that Job is referring to?
The Hebrew ‘Divrei Ruach’ is also sometimes translated as ‘words of vanity’ or ‘futile flourishing’.
Many commentators have taken the easy route, interpreting "windy words" as mere empty chatter, as insubstantial as the wind. But Job’s frustration cuts far deeper.
After enduring wave upon wave of theological arguments from his so-called friends, Job can no longer bear their speeches. Even his own words seem to him dark and futile. The complex philosophy and intricate theology of the Book of Job, so often praised for its depth, now feel meaningless to the very man at the heart of the story. Job is desperate for something tangible—something real.
I’m grateful to my nephew, Netzer Lau, a budding poet, for reflecting on this verse - and bringing in a surprising reference -- Eliza Doolittle, the heroine of My Fair Lady, who in this scene and song is storming out of Henry Higgins’ home, in agony, and cries:
"Words! Words! I'm so sick of words! I get words all day through; first from him, now from you! Is that all you blighters can do? Don't talk of stars burning above; if you're in love, show me!"
Like Job, Eliza has grown weary of words, of their failure to connect with the reality of her needs. She doesn’t want poetry; she wants proof. A touch of kindness, a hand extended in love—something real and present. Words, to her, feel like a distraction from meaningful engagement with life. It will be her mastery of words that will be her shining triumph. And it will be the same for Job - who will survive the onslaught of the verbal explanations to find solace in the silence and the calm that comes after the storm.
Words, these authors and poets suggest, with vulnerable honesty, inevitably erode under the weight of the realities they aim to describe. They are never enough to fully capture the essence of existence.
So where does that leave us? Should we abandon words altogether, resign ourselves to their limitations? Job’s lament might tempt us to give up. But I think there’s a different lesson here: perhaps words alone are not enough, but they still matter, if only as the guideposts on our path.
When words come with deeds—when windy rhetoric becomes grounded in acts of compassion and care—they transform. Words coupled with action become vessels of light, imperfect but meaningful.
Job’s cry invites us to reflect: how often do we speak without acting? When do our words, mere wind, leave no mark of tangible meaning?
Perhaps it’s time to let our words take root in reality. Let them build, hold, and heal—so they’re not just wind, but substance.
Below the Bible Belt: 929 chapters, 42 months, daily reflections.
Become a free or paid subscriber and join Rabbi Amichai’s 3+ years interactive online quest to question, queer + re-read between the lines of the entire Hebrew Bible. Enjoy daily posts, weekly videos and monthly learning sessions. 2022-2025.
Become a Paid Subscriber? Thank you for your support!
#Job #IYOV #Job16 #hebrewbible #כתובים #Ketuvim #Hebrewbible #Tanach #929 #איוב #חכמה #labshul #belowthebiblebelt929
#words #myfairlady #wordsbuildworlds #powerofwords #injustice #ElizaDoolitle #wordsthatheal #peace #prayforpeace #nomorewar #hope #peaceisposible #life’sbigquestions #Eliphaz #wordswithteeth