Job 9 15

Job 9:15 kjv

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

Job 9:15 nkjv

For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge.

Job 9:15 niv

Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy.

Job 9:15 esv

Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser.

Job 9:15 nlt

Even if I were right, I would have no defense.
I could only plead for mercy.

Job 9 verses

Job 9 15 Meaning

Job 9:15 conveys Job’s profound realization that his perceived righteousness or innocence is utterly insufficient for him to engage in a legal dispute with God. Instead of asserting his merits, Job understands that he must abandon any attempt at self-justification and can only humble himself, appealing for mercy from the very one who judges him. It encapsulates the vast chasm between human rectitude and divine holiness, emphasizing the creature's absolute dependence on the Creator's unmerited favor, even when one believes oneself to be blameless.

Job 9 15 Context

Job 9:15 occurs within Job’s first response to Bildad, one of his friends. Bildad had asserted that Job's suffering must be a consequence of his sin, implying that God only punishes the wicked (Job 8). In chapter 9, Job eloquently acknowledges God's immeasurable power, wisdom, and majesty, detailing how God alone moves mountains, shakes the earth, and controls creation (Job 9:4-10). He expresses a profound sense of God’s omnipresent and uncontrollable might, admitting that God can act beyond human comprehension (Job 9:11-12). This powerful, sovereign God, Job laments, is inscrutable and unstoppable, making it impossible for a mere human to stand before Him in a court of law. Even if Job were truly innocent and spotless, he perceives no pathway to defend himself successfully against such a formidable, ultimate Judge. His plea for mercy, therefore, arises from this recognition of divine supremacy and his own creaturely helplessness in the face of it. This verse is also part of Job's struggle against the prevailing wisdom of his friends, which rigidly tied suffering directly to sin. Job implicitly challenges this direct correlation by acknowledging God's unassailable power even as he maintains his own integrity, suggesting a deeper mystery to divine action.

Job 9 15 Word analysis

• Though I am innocent/righteous:

  • Original Hebrew: כִּי אִם־צָדַקְתִּי (kī ʾim-ṣādaḳtī).
  • צָדַק (ṣādaq): This root means "to be righteous," "to be just," "to be in the right," "to be vindicated." Job here insists on his own uprightness and blamelessness (as also stated in Job 1:1, 8), which is a key part of his argument throughout the book. It signifies his self-assessment that he has not committed any specific sin warranting his intense suffering.
  • Significance: This phrase sets up the tension of the verse. Job’s self-perceived righteousness stands in stark contrast to his inability to use it as leverage before God. It polemically counters the simple "retribution theology" by asserting his blamelessness, yet recognizing its futility against God's power.

• I cannot answer him:

  • Original Hebrew: לֹא אֶעֱנֶה (lōʾ ʾeʿeneh).
  • אֶעֱנֶה (ʾeʿeneh): From the root עָנָה (ʿānah), meaning "to answer," "to respond," "to testify," "to contend."
  • Significance: This highlights the futility of human argumentation against God. Job feels utterly outmatched. His inability to "answer" signifies not a lack of logical counter-arguments but a realization that no human argument can prevail against God's sovereign will and power. It expresses a fundamental theological boundary between the finite and the infinite.

• I must appeal / I would make supplication:

  • Original Hebrew: אֶתְחַנָּן (ʾetḥannān).
  • חָנַן (ḥānan): This root means "to be gracious," "to show favor," "to have pity upon," "to entreat." It implies a plea for unmerited favor, mercy, or grace, rather than a demand based on justice or right. It is distinct from presenting evidence or arguing a legal case.
  • Significance: This is a pivotal shift for Job. Instead of legal defense, he must turn to supplication. It implies a recognition that one's standing before God is not earned but bestowed. This anticipates the New Testament concept of salvation by grace through faith. It is an act of humble surrender.

• to my accuser / to my judge:

  • Original Hebrew: מִמְּשֹׁפְטִי (mimmĕšōp̄əṭī).
  • שֹׁפְטִי (šōp̄əṭī): From the root שָׁפַט (šāfaṭ), meaning "to judge," "to govern," "to rule," "to execute judgment." It is in the participle form, indicating "my judge" or "the one who judges me." The term "accuser" in some translations (like NIV) captures the implied context of a courtroom where God is simultaneously the prosecutor and the judge.
  • Significance: God is identified as the ultimate judicial authority. Job must appeal directly to the one who has power to condemn or vindicate him. This acknowledges God’s sovereign control over his life and circumstances. The term “accuser” enhances the dramatic tension, as Job, despite believing himself innocent, cannot defend himself and must beg mercy from the very One he feels is acting as his adversary.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Though I am innocent, I cannot answer him": This phrase captures the paradox of Job's situation and his theological insight. It demonstrates the inadequacy of human righteousness when confronted by divine omnipotence and incomprehensibility. It underscores the impossibility of successfully bringing God to court. This is a profound polemic against any belief that human morality or good deeds can obligate God or force Him to act in a certain way.

• "I must appeal to my accuser for mercy": This marks Job's dramatic shift from attempting a rational or legal defense to an posture of humble dependence. It signifies his resignation from self-vindication and a desperate turning towards the only avenue available: God's unmerited favor. The one acting as Job's adversary (the "accuser" in Job's perception) is paradoxically the only source of "mercy." This illustrates the unique nature of humanity’s relationship with God, where divine justice is tempered, or transcended, by divine grace.

Job 9 15 Bonus section

The profound insight in Job 9:15, where Job grasps the impossibility of dealing with God on grounds of strict justice, lays significant groundwork for later developments in the book. Job’s deep desire for an arbitrator or mediator in Job 9:32-33 ("For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we might come together in judgment. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.") highlights the very problem Job expresses in verse 15. The understanding that Job’s righteousness cannot stand alone points to the future need for a divine-human mediator, a theme ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who bridges the infinite gap between God and humanity. He becomes the "arbitrator" or "intercessor" who can represent humanity before God and offer the mercy that Job intuitively understood was his only hope. Thus, Job 9:15 implicitly highlights the ultimate bankruptcy of human self-righteousness and the indispensable need for a divine provision for reconciliation.

Job 9 15 Commentary

Job 9:15 articulates a profound theological truth about the chasm between divine majesty and human ability. Job, a man explicitly called "blameless and upright" (Job 1:1), grasps that his own integrity is meaningless as a basis for contending with God. The sheer, overwhelming power and unsearchable ways of the Almighty (as elaborated earlier in the chapter) mean that a courtroom showdown is an exercise in futility for a finite human. This is not Job abandoning his conviction of innocence but acknowledging the futility of arguing it on his own terms against an infinitely greater being.

The verse shifts from an anticipated legal debate ("I cannot answer him") to an desperate plea for unmerited favor ("I must appeal... for mercy"). Job realizes that before such an all-encompassing Judge, any attempt to prove one’s case would be absurd or instantly silenced. Humanity stands utterly dependent on God's benevolence, not its own righteousness, a foreshadowing of the New Testament revelation that salvation comes by grace, not by works (Eph 2:8-9). This isn't merely a statement of resignation, but an admission of existential helplessness and absolute reliance on the One who judges. It subverts the neat formula of the friends' theology: true "righteousness" before God ultimately hinges on His gracious favor, not human performance or successful legal defense.