Job 9

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Job 9

1 Then Job answered and said,

2 I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?

3 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?

5 Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.

6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.

7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.

8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.

9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.

10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.

11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.

12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?

13 If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.

14 How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?

15 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.

16 If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.

17 For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.

18 He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.

19 If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?

20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

21 Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.

22 This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

23 If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.

24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?

25 Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

26 They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.

27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:

28 I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.

29 If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?

30 If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;

31 Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.

32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.

33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:

35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 3

<html>Job’s Reply to contend with Him To debate with Him.</html>

Verse 4

<html>He is wise in heart to contend. and mighty in strength to requite. who hardened his heart and went away whole? Pharaoh hardened [his heart] and was destroyed, and so it is with all who hardened [their hearts].</html>

Verse 5

<html>He Who moved mountains He moved them away when He overturned Sodom. and they knew not until He turned them over.</html>

Verse 6

<html>He Who causes the earth to quake when He looks at it, and it trembles.</html>

Verse 7

<html>He Who spoke to the sun Heb. לחרס, to the sun, “Stand still.” and it kept the command of the King and did not shine. and He settled up the stars He closed off the stars with a partition and they did not shine.</html>

Verse 8

<html>He Who clone stretched out the heavens and the angels were created on the second day, lest you say that Michael stretched it out in the north and Gabriel in the south. on the high places of the sea On the heights of the sea. This was stated regarding the Creation, that the lower waters raised themselves up on high, and He trod them.</html>

Verse 9

<html>Orion, and the Pleiades they are constellations. and the chambers of the south into which to bring the tempest, as he states (below 37:9): “From the chamber shall come the tempest.”</html>

Verse 11

<html>Behold, He goes by me I know that all He wishes, He does. He goes by me Before me, but I do not see Him.</html>

Verse 12

<html>Behold, He strikes suddenly Heb. יחתף, He strikes suddenly, like (Prov. 23:28), “She, too, will suddenly (כחתף) lurk,” an expression of suddenness.</html>

Verse 13

<html>will not hold back His wrath because of fear (other editions: righteousness) of a man. [all the helpers of Rahab] stoop under Him The celestial host that came to aid the Egyptians. Egypt is called Rahab, as it is said (Isa. 30:7): “Therefore, I called this, ‘They are haughty (רהב) idlers,’” by dint of their haughtiness, for they said, “Who is the Lord? etc.” (Exod. 5:2).</html>

Verse 14

<html>Surely Heb. אַף.</html>

Verse 15

<html>I will not reply I will fear to raise my voice before Him. my Judge Heb. למשפטי, like לשופטי.</html>

Verse 16

<html>I will not believe I will be unable to believe out of my fear for Him, for how do I not see Him?</html>

Verse 17

<html>He Who would crush me with a tempest My form was changed (other editions: my status) before Him. would crush me Heb. ישופני, would crush me. “I crushed it and ground it” (Deut. 9:21) is translated into Aramaic as: ושפיתיתֵה. my wounds Heb. פצעי, a wound that oozes blood and pus.</html>

Verse 18

<html>He Who would not let me He does not let me bring back my breath to myself.</html>

Verse 19

<html>If it is a trial of strength How can I contend with Him? If He comes with strength, behold He is mighty. and if of judgment who will be able to summon me before Him and confirm my verdict? Is it not so that…</html>

Verse 20

<html>If I am innocent, my mouth will condemn me because my words will be silenced out of fear, and my mouth will make me crooked.</html>

Verse 21

<html>I am blameless I know of myself that I am blameless; nonetheless, I do not know my rest, how I will find rest.</html>

Verse 22

<html>It is all one in the world, concerning which I said that He destroys both the innocent and the wicked. Now, what is it?…</html>

Verse 23

<html>If the scourge of the Adversary’s tongue suddenly puts the righteous to death. at the calamity of the innocent that he put to death he will mock.</html>

Verse 24

<html>into the hands of a wicked one Referring to the Adversary. he covers the faces of its judges from discerning and comprehending the truth of the matter. If not, then If this [interpretation] is not the truth of the matter, who is it that destroys the innocent?</html>

Verse 25

<html>My days with the destruction of the other innocent people are swifter than a runner.</html>

Verse 26

<html>Ebeh The name of a rushing river. swoops Heb. יטוש, flies.</html>

Verse 27

<html>my speech The words of my pain. my anger Heb. פני, lit. my face. and [I will] restrain myself Heb. ואבליגה, I will strengthen myself, like (Amos 5:9), “Who strengthens (המבליג) the robbed upon the strong.”</html>

Verse 28

<html>I will gather in all my sadness that it not let me cry out. I know that You will not declare me innocent of my iniquity, so as not to requite me.</html>

Verse 29

<html>why should I toil in vain to come to judgment?</html>

Verse 30

<html>with purity Heb. בבור, with cleanliness.</html>

Verse 31

<html>You will plunge me into the ditch to be sullied and contaminated; i.e., You will find great iniquity in me.</html>

Verse 32

<html>in debate Heb. במשפט, in words of debate. [The word] משפט is used in three expressions: 1) its beginning, viz. the clarification of the matters, 2) its middle, viz. the verdict, and 3) its end, viz. the meting out of the tortures and the collection of the debt. Sometimes Scripture writes it as referring to the beginning, sometimes to the middle, and sometimes to the end.</html>

Verse 33

<html>arbiter discerner in Old French. He shows each one his guilt and his innocence. who will place his hand The ruling of his fear and his power. on both of us so that the stronger does not overpower the weaker.</html>

Verse 35

<html>for I am not so with myself Because I fear [God], I am certain with myself that I will not be found guilty in the trial.</html>

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Table of Contents

Job 9

Job 9

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 22

Verse 23

Verse 24

Verse 25

Verse 26

Verse 27

Verse 28

Verse 29

Verse 30

Verse 31

Verse 32

Verse 33

Verse 35