Job 29:10

The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

Ver. 10. The nobles held their peace] The Hebrew word for nobles signifieth such as stand in the presence of great princes; or, such as the people eyeth and referreth all things to them, Conticuere omnes, intentique ora tenebant (Virg.). These (after the example of those forementioned princes, Job 29:9) held their peace Heb. hid their voice, as ashamed to hear themselves speak before such a master of speech as Job was; of whom it might well be said, as once of Dr Whitaker, That never any man saw him without reverence, nor heard him without wonder (Dr Hall).

And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth] Ex metu loquendi, as being afraid before me, though themselves were antecessores vocis (as some render the former words), eloquent men and able speakers. Demosthenes, that great orator, being to speak before King Philip, three several times stood speechless, and thirty different times forgot what he had prepared to speak unto him: Tρις αφωνος εγενετο. Tρισακις διελαθετο των α λαλειν εσκοπει (Tzetzes, Chiliad 7). An awful respect to Job's dignity and worth caused this extreme silence in these grandees. And besides, it may be they were of Pliny's mind, who said, Non minus interdum oratoris est tacere quam dicere. There is a time to keep silence and a time to speak, Ecclesiastes 3:7 .