Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 9:32
For [he is] not a man, as I [am, that] I should answer him, [and] we should come together in judgment.
32 34. The preceding verses described how unavailing all Job’s efforts were to make out his innocence in the face of the fixed resolution of God to hold him guilty. Now Job comes back to what is the real difficulty, God is not a man like himself.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For he is not a man as I am – He is infinitely superior to me in majesty and power. The idea is, that the contest would be unequal, and that he might as well surrender without bringing the matter to an issue. It is evident that the disposition of Job to yield, was rather because he saw that God was superior in power than because he saw that he was right, and that he felt that if he had ability to manage the cause as well as God could, the matter would not be so much against him as it was then. That there was no little impropriety of feeling in this, no one can doubt; but have we never had feelings like this when we have been afflicted? Have we never submitted to God because we felt that he was Almighty, and that it was vain to contend with him, rather than because he was seen to be right? True submission is always accompanied with the belief that God is RIGHT – whether we can see him to be right or not.
And we should come together in judgment – For trial, to have the case adjudicated. That is, that we should meet face to face, and have the cause tried before a superior judge. Noyes.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 32. For he is not a man as I am] I cannot contend with him as with one of my fellows in a court of justice.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He is not a man, as I am; but one infinitely superior to me in majesty, and power, and wisdom, and justice.
That I should answer him; that I should presume to debate my cause with him, or answer his allegations against me.
That we should come together, face to face, to plead upon equal terms before a superior and indifferent judge.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
32. (Ecc 6:10;Isa 45:9).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For [he is] not a man, as I [am],…. For though the parts and members of an human body are sometimes ascribed to him, yet these are to be understood by an anthropopathy, speaking after the manner of men, there being something in him, which in a figurative sense answers to these; otherwise we are not to conceive of any corporeal shape in him, or that there is any likeness to which he is to be compared: he is a spirit infinite, immortal, immense, invisible, pure and holy, just and true, and without iniquity; whereas Job was but a man, a finite, feeble, mortal creature, and a sinful one; and therefore there being such a vast disparity between them, it was in vain to litigate a point with him, to plead his cause before him, or attempt to vindicate his innocence; the potsherds may strive and contend with the potsherds of the earth their equals, but not with God their Creator, who is more than a match for them; he sees impurity where man sees it not, and can bring a charge against him, and support it, where he thought there was none, and therefore it is a vain thing to enter the lists with him:
[that] I should answer him; not to questions put by him, but in a judicial way to charges and accusations he should exhibit; no man in this sense can answer him, for one of a thousand he may bring, and men are chargeable with; wherefore Job once and again determines he would not pretend to answer him, as he knew he could not, see Job 9:3;
[and] we should come together in judgment; in any court of judicature, before any judge, to have the cause between us heard, and tried, and determined; for in what court of judicature can he be convened into? or what judge is there above him, before whom he can be summoned? or is capable of judging and determining the cause between us? there is the high court of heaven, where we must all appear, and the judgment seat of Christ, before which we must all stand; and God is the judge of all, to whom we must come, and by whose sentence we must be determined; but there is no court, no judge, no judgment superior to him and his; there is no annulling his sentence, or making an appeal from him to another; there is no coming together at all, and much less “alike” p, as some render it, or upon equal terms; the difference between him and his creatures being so vastly great.
p “pariter”, Junius & Tremellius, Drusius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
4. There is no mediator between the man and his creator. (Job. 9:32-35)
TEXT 9:3235
32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him,
That we should come together in judgment.
33 There is no umpire betwixt us,
That might lay his hand upon us both.
34 Let him take his rod away from me,
And let not his terror make me afraid:
35 Then would I speak, and not fear him;
For I am not so in myself.
COMMENT 9:3235
Job. 9:32A fair trial before God is an impossibility. Come together in judgment means to go to court or before the lawPsa. 143:2. Here we see that a theology of commutative justice between man and God will destroy Gods transcendence and ensnare Him in the immanent trap that enslaves man.[134] Zec. 3:3-5 provides a beautiful background to the problem, where the acquitted defendant receives clean clothes. (Note New Testament reference to white garments, esp. in The Revelationsee my The Seer, the Saviour, and The Saved, 1972 ed. in this series of commentaries.)[135]
[134] The nature of Gods transcendence and immanence is one of the major issues in contemporary theological thought. Since the 17th-18th centuries Scientific Revolution, the transcendence of God has been suspect. The Newtonian World Machine conceived Deism and Deism gave birth to scientific positivism. Newton is the basis of Kant, Kant the basis of Hegels immanent transcendence, and Hegel is the father of naturalistic pantheism, which is presently expressed by C. Hartshorne, Whitehead, and Teilhard de Chardin, et al.
[135] Compare also with the theology of righteousness in the Qumran Literature, esp. 1QH Job. 5:4; Job. 5:4; Job. 7:12; Job. 9:14 ff; Job. 12:3 Off; Job. 14:15 ff; and the teacher of righteousness see W. Grundmain Der Lehrer der gerechtigkeit von Qumran, Revue de Qumran 2, 1959- 60 237259
Job. 9:33Since God is prejudiced by His despotic power, Job calls for an arbitermokiahmediator, one who decides with equityGen. 31:37; Isa. 2:4. Job is still searching for a just reconciliation (2Co. 5:17 ff).
Job. 9:34Remove your rod (sebetclub) same word as in Psa. 23:4. To David, Gods rod was his defense against his enemies; for Job, Gods rod brings only violence and pain. To Job, the rod signifies coercion and intimidation.
Job. 9:35If there is no mediator, then I will speak for myself. But what shall I say that has not already been said?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(32, 33) For he is not a man, as I am . . .Is not that confession, if we believe that such a daysman as Job longed for has been given, itself a witness that it came from God, and was given by God? The light that has shined upon us was shining then in the heart of Job, and shines for ever in the pages of his book. Job felt, as he had been taught to feel, that in himself there not only was no hope, but no possibility of justification with God, unless there should be an umpire and impartial mediator, who could make the cause of both his own, and reconcile and unite the two in himself. It is useless to inquire what other particular form the aspiration of Job may have taken, or how far he understood and meant what he said; but here are his words, and this is what they must mean, and it is for us to adore the wisdom by which they were taught accurately to correspond with what we know has been given to us by God. We know that a daysman has laid his hand upon us both; and while we see that this is what Job wanted, we cannot but see more plainly that this is what we want. It is to be observed that this word daysman, or judge, is immediately connected with the Scripture phrase, the day of the Lord, and St. Pauls words, the day shall declare it (1Co. 3:13).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Job 9:32 For [he is] not a man, as I [am, that] I should answer him, [and] we should come together in judgment.
Ver. 32. For he is not a man as I am ] He is not such a one, nor can be, as I am, and must be; he hath other eyes and thoughts and ways than creatures have. He who is just before men is unjust before God; therefore he is no fit match for me to contend in addition: have I an arm like God? or can I thunder with a voice like him? Job 40:9 . Is it safe to contend with him that is mightier than I? Ecc 6:10 . Surely if I should be so mad as to justify myself, yet I should soon be given to know that “that which is highly esteemed amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God,” Luk 16:15 .
And we should come together in judgment
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
not a man: Job 33:12, Job 35:5-7, Num 23:19, 1Sa 16:7, Ecc 6:10, Isa 45:9, Jer 49:19, Rom 9:20, 1Jo 3:20
we should: Job 13:18-23, Job 23:3-7, Psa 143:2
Reciprocal: Job 9:3 – he will contend Job 9:19 – who shall Job 10:4 – seest thou Job 13:22 – General Job 14:3 – bringest Job 19:7 – no judgment Job 22:4 – will he enter Job 31:14 – What then Job 33:6 – I am Job 34:23 – that he Job 40:2 – he that reproveth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 9:32-33. For he is not a man as I am But one infinitely superior to me in majesty and power, wisdom and justice. That I should answer him That I should presume to debate my cause with him, or answer his allegations against me. That we should come together in judgment Face to face, to plead upon equal terms. Neither is there any days-man Or, umpire; that might lay his hand upon us both Order and govern us in pleading, and oblige us to stand to his decision. The laying the hand on both parties implies a coercive power to enforce the execution of his decrees. This no one could have over the Almighty: it was in vain, therefore, to contend with him. Our Lord Jesus Christ is now the blessed daysman, who has mediated between heaven and earth, has laid his hand upon us both: to him the Father hath committed all judgment. But this was not made so clear then as it is now by the gospel, which leaves no room for such a complaint as this.