Job 16:21 kjv
O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!
Job 16:21 nkjv
Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his neighbor!
Job 16:21 niv
on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.
Job 16:21 esv
that he would argue the case of a man with God, as a son of man does with his neighbor.
Job 16:21 nlt
I need someone to mediate between God and me,
as a person mediates between friends.
Job 16 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 9:33 | "There is no arbiter between us..." | Job's prior lament for lack of a mediator |
| 1 Tim 2:5 | "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" | The ultimate Mediator in the New Covenant |
| Heb 7:25 | "He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." | Christ's eternal intercession as High Priest |
| Heb 8:6 | "He is the mediator of a better covenant, founded on better promises." | Christ mediates the New Covenant |
| Heb 9:15 | "He is the mediator of a new covenant..." | Christ's mediatorial death |
| 1 Jn 2:1 | "If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." | Christ as our legal defense |
| Rom 8:34 | "Christ Jesus... who indeed is interceding for us." | Christ's present intercessory work |
| Isa 53:12 | "...He poured out His soul to death... He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." | Prophetic intercession of the Suffering Servant |
| Jer 30:21 | "...I will bring him near, and he shall approach me; for who is he who would dare approach me?" | Prophecy of a leader bold enough to approach God for His people |
| Psa 106:23 | "Therefore He said He would destroy them, had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him..." | Moses as an Old Testament intercessor |
| Gen 18:23-32 | Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah. | Example of human intercession for others |
| Job 23:3-4 | "Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat! I would present my case before Him..." | Job's fervent desire for a direct encounter with God to present his defense |
| Isa 1:18 | "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord..." | God inviting humanity to legal discourse |
| Psa 130:3 | "If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" | Human inability to stand before God without grace |
| Job 40:2 | "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?..." | God's rhetorical question to Job about arguing with the Creator |
| Job 19:25-27 | "For I know that my Redeemer lives... He will stand at last on the earth... I myself will see Him." | Job's faith in a future vindicator and personal encounter with God |
| Lam 3:59 | "You have seen my wrong; judge my case, O Lord." | Cry for divine justice and vindication |
| Lev 19:18 | "...you shall love your neighbor as yourself." | Law instructing reciprocal fairness and care among humans |
| Matt 7:12 | "Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them..." | The Golden Rule reflecting principles of human equity |
| Job 10:2 | "I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me; let me know why You contend with me.'" | Job's direct challenge and desire for understanding from God |
Job 16 verses
Job 16 21 Meaning
Job 16:21 expresses Job's profound and desperate longing for an impartial arbiter, a just pleader, or a vindicating advocate who would stand between himself and God. In his immense suffering and accusations from his friends, Job feels utterly alone and overwhelmed by God's apparent hostility. He wishes for a mechanism of fair legal dispute with the Almighty, comparing it to how a human dispute between equals is resolved among friends or neighbors. This desire highlights Job's conviction of his own innocence and his plea for justice directly from God, even as he perceives God to be his adversary.
Job 16 21 Context
Job 16:21 is found in the middle of Job’s third speech (chapters 16-17), in response to Eliphaz the Temanite’s second discourse. Throughout this stage of the book, Job’s suffering has intensified, and his friends' theological explanations for his plight have grown increasingly harsh and unsympathetic. They attribute his immense pain to unconfessed sin, demanding his repentance. Feeling utterly abandoned by God and betrayed by his friends, Job shifts his plea directly to God. He views God as his accuser, tormentor, and opponent in a cosmic lawsuit, yet paradoxically, he also sees God as his only potential vindicator. This verse expresses a cry for an impartial intermediary who could clarify his situation, present his case fairly before the Divine, and bring about the justice he desperately craves, a justice that is seemingly absent from his earthly circumstances and God's dealings with him.
Job 16 21 Word analysis
- Oh that (אָח - ’akh): This interjection expresses a fervent, lamenting, or intense desire. It conveys a deep longing, often born out of distress or desperation, for something that is greatly wished for but perhaps seen as unattainable. In Job's context, it underscores the intensity of his plea.
- one might plead (יוֹכִיחַ - yōkhiach): This is from the root יכח (Y-K-Ḥ), which is multifaceted in Hebrew. It can mean to argue, plead a case, arbitrate, reprove, judge, or decide a controversy. Job's choice of this word is significant; he's not just wishing for someone to passively intercede. He desires an active intervener who will logically present his case, serve as an umpire, or even confront God on his behalf regarding the apparent injustice. It signifies a desire for clarity and a fair hearing.
- for a man (לְגֶבֶר - l’gever): "Man" here (גֶּבֶר - gever) refers to a strong individual or male person, emphasizing Job's singular and distinct humanity in the face of the Almighty. It speaks of his personal anguish and his identity as a wronged individual.
- with God (עִם אֱלֹוַהּ - ‘im ’Ĕlōah): The use of ‘im ("with" or "concerning") suggests direct interaction, a confrontation, or a legal standing before God. ’Ĕlōah is a name for God primarily used in poetic books like Job, often highlighting His omnipotence and majesty, thereby emphasizing the unequal footing of the interaction. Job desires a "courtroom" scenario with God as the other party.
- as a man (וּבֶן־אָדָם - uven-’ādām): Literally "and a son of man," this refers generally to humanity, a human being. It establishes a comparison point – ordinary human interaction and legal proceedings.
- pleads (לְרֵעֵהוּ - lĕrē‘ēhu): This implies a natural, equitable pleading or argument between friends or equals (רֵעַ - re'a' – "neighbor," "friend," "fellow man"). It underscores the perceived inequity of Job's standing before God, contrasting it with the fairness expected between humans in dispute resolution. Job wants a standard of impartial justice with God akin to that between ordinary people.
Job 16 21 Bonus section
Job's longing for an arbiter (yokhiach) in 16:21, alongside his earlier desire for a "daysman" (Job 9:33) and his later profound confession of a living "Redeemer" who will "stand at last on the earth" (Job 19:25), collectively point towards a theological progression within the book of Job. It reveals not only a personal cry of distress but also a prophetic foreshadowing. Humanity, deeply flawed and unable to stand righteous before a perfect God, inherently needs an intercessor. This cry from Job's deepest anguish finds its complete and glorious fulfillment in the Person of Jesus Christ, the one Mediator and Advocate. He bridges the infinite chasm between sinful humanity and a holy God, not through simple argumentation, but by perfectly representing humanity as the "son of Man" while perfectly revealing God, bearing sin, and interceding eternally. Job's anguished desire becomes a universal declaration of our absolute need for such a Savior.
Job 16 21 Commentary
Job 16:21 is a deeply moving cry from Job's shattered heart, encapsulating his desperation for a fair trial and vindication. Feeling God has become his adversary, Job expresses a fervent wish for a mediator, someone to arbitrate his case before the divine Judge. The contrast he draws between human legal practices (where neighbors can plead their cases as equals) and his own hopeless struggle against God underscores his sense of profound injustice and isolation. This verse powerfully articulates humanity's deep-seated need for an advocate when faced with the holy and all-powerful God, anticipating the redemptive work of the ultimate Mediator, Jesus Christ.