Job 9
Summary for Job 9:1-35: 9:1-35 a Job responded to Bildad by describing God’s cosmic and judicial power. His speech sounds like a complicated legal case, with a summons and response (9:3 b, 14-16 c, 19b d, 32 e), the possibility of self-incrimination (9:20 f), an arbiter (9:33-34 g), an accusatory question (9:12 h), a legal sentence (9:22 i), and a declaration of guilt (9:28-30 j).9:3 k If someone wanted to take God to court: Job later expressed the wish to meet God in court (13:3 l, 15 m, 23 n; 23:4 o).
Summary for Job 9:5-6: 9:5-6 p When God moves the mountains and when the foundations of the earth tremble, it is a sign of his presence as lawgiver (Exod 19:18 q), judge (Jer 4:24 r), or rescuer (Ps 18:7 s; Isa 13:13 t; 29:6 u).
9:9 v The Bear (also at 38:32 w) is commonly identified as Arcturus but might also refer to the constellations of Ursa Minor or Leo.
• The Pleiades is a group of seven stars (38:31 x; Amos 5:8 y).
9:13 z monsters of the sea (literally the helpers of Rahab): Job personified demonic powers as creatures like this mythical sea monster that represents chaos in ancient literature (26:12 aa; Ps 89:11 ab; Isa 51:9 ac).
9:17 ad with a storm: Perhaps the words translated “with a storm” (bis’arah) are a double entendre with besa‘arah (“for a hair”; i.e., “for the littlest thing”), which would parallel without cause.
9:21 ae Job was indeed innocent (1:1 af, 7 ag; 2:3 ah), and he maintained this claim throughout the debate (23:11-12 ai; 27:5 aj; 31:1-40 ak).
9:28 al The word you makes it clear that this is a prayer, although the phrase O God is not explicit in the Hebrew.
9:30 am wash myself: Job spoke of cleansing himself with the strongest soap to represent ridding himself of all sin (1:5 an; cp. Ps 26:6 ao; Matt 27:24 ap).
9:31 aq The muddy ditch (literally pit) can refer to the place of the dead (17:14 ar; 33:18 as), so it might allude to the defilement of death.
• The filthy clothing of guilt contrasts with the clean clothes of acquittal (Zech 3:3-5 at; see Isa 61:10 au; 64:6 av; Rev 19:8 aw).
Summary for Job 9:32-33: 9:32-33 ax A mediator would not judge God and man but would work to bring them together (see 16:19-21 ay).
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