Job 9 33

Job 9:33 kjv

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

Job 9:33 nkjv

Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.

Job 9:33 niv

If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together,

Job 9:33 esv

There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.

Job 9:33 nlt

If only there were a mediator between us,
someone who could bring us together.

Job 9 verses

Job 9 33 Meaning

Job, feeling utterly helpless and overwhelmed by God's infinite power and what he perceives as a divine adversary, cries out for an impartial mediator. He desperately seeks an arbiter who possesses sufficient authority to stand between him, a finite human, and God, the Almighty, and lay their hand on both parties to justly resolve their dispute, for he believes he cannot contend with God directly or clear his name without such intercession. This highlights Job's profound spiritual anguish and his inability to find common ground or an equitable hearing before God on his own terms.

Job 9 33 Context

Job 9 is a deep expression of Job's struggle and despair following Bildad's harsh accusation. In this chapter, Job articulates his perceived inability to contend with God's overwhelming power and absolute sovereignty. He acknowledges God's omnipotence, omnipresence, and unchallengeable wisdom (vv. 4-10). However, Job feels that God unjustly afflicts him without reason or explanation (vv. 17-18). He perceives God not as a benevolent judge, but as a mighty adversary who strikes him down before he can even state his case (vv. 14-19). Job highlights the vast, unbridgeable chasm between a righteous but finite human and the infinite, perfectly righteous, yet seemingly arbitrary divine. He laments the absence of an impartial arbiter, or a referee, who could bridge this gap and fairly judge between them, given God's unchallenged might and his own helpless state. Historically, in the ancient Near East, legal disputes often involved mediators to resolve conflicts, but Job's problem is unique—no such human or divine figure existed with authority over both Creator and creature.

Job 9 33 Word analysis

• Neither is there: The Hebrew wəloʾ yēš (וְלֹא יֵשׁ) translates to "and there is not." This expresses an emphatic and profound absence, highlighting Job's desolate realization that no such figure exists whom he can call upon.
• any umpire/mediator: The crucial Hebrew word here is mōkhîaḥ (מוֹכִיחַ). Derived from the root yakhaḥ (יָכַח), it carries a rich range of meanings, including:
  • One who proves, argues a case, or shows something to be true or false.
  • One who judges, decides, or arbitrates in a dispute.
  • One who reproves, admonishes, or corrects.
  • An advocate or arbiter.
  • Job's use here conveys his longing for an impartial third party, a dispassionate referee, or a legal arbiter who could hear both sides of the case fairly and make an equitable decision, free from intimidation.
• betwixt us: The Hebrew bênênû (בֵּינֵינוּ) explicitly refers to "between us," directly meaning between Job and God. It emphasizes the two parties in the dispute, one being the finite human, the other the infinite, almighty Creator.
• that might lay his hand upon us both: This is a powerful Hebrew idiom: yāšēṯ yāḏô ʿal-šənênû (יָשֵׁת יָדוֹ עַל־שְׁנֵינוּ).
  • "Lay his hand" signifies authority, control, power, and the ability to intervene decisively. In legal and covenant contexts, it can also symbolize agreement, imposition, or binding a party to an oath or decision.
  • "Upon us both" means upon Job and upon God. This is the pivotal part of Job's demand. He isn't seeking merely an advocate for him against God, but a true umpire who has authority over both sides, capable of imposing a binding, impartial decision on both the human litigant and the divine judge, thus guaranteeing a fair hearing and resolution. This expresses the theological tension that no being can exert authority over God Himself, highlighting Job's desperation and the humanly perceived impossibility of his situation without divine intervention.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "Neither is there any umpire/mediator betwixt us": This phrase underlines Job's deep sense of isolation and futility in his legal dispute with God. He perceives himself without any recourse, cut off from any channel for justice, intensifying his feeling of abandonment and hopelessness. The absolute "neither is there" highlights the non-existence of such a figure in Job's immediate reality.
• "that might lay his hand upon us both": This full clause illustrates the specific type of mediator Job craves: one with universal authority and power, capable of making a binding ruling on both divine and human parties. This is the radical nature of Job's wish, touching upon the ultimate problem of how a just and holy God interacts with sinful humanity in the face of suffering, and setting the stage for the later New Testament revelation of Christ's mediatorial role.

Job 9 33 Bonus section

Job's statement in Job 9:33 is part of a thematic progression in the book regarding a mediator or advocate. Later, in Job 16:19-21, Job expresses a glimmer of hope that his "Witness is in heaven" and his "Advocate is on high," one who would "plead for a man with God." This demonstrates a shift from a desperate, seemingly impossible longing to a nascent faith that such a figure might indeed exist. Furthermore, Elihu's discourse in Job 33:23-24, though distinct, echoes the idea of a divine messenger or "interpreter" who can stand between God and man to reveal God's ways and provide deliverance, offering another layer of exploration to the problem Job presents. These subsequent verses in Job highlight the developing revelation within the narrative itself regarding the profound spiritual need that Job 9:33 articulates.

Job 9 33 Commentary

Job 9:33 encapsulates Job's profound existential and theological dilemma. Faced with God's overwhelming power and His apparent inscrutability, Job feels his innocence is unheard, his plea unheeded, and his very existence imperiled without a fair trial. The cry for a mokhiah who can "lay his hand upon us both" is not an attempt to diminish God's sovereignty, but a desperate yearning for true justice and an objective, authoritative bridge between his limited human understanding and God's infinite, unsearchable ways. It foreshadows the inherent human need for an intercessor between a Holy God and a sinful creation. While Job does not yet know how this need would be met, his agonizing plea articulates the universal human problem that later finds its divine and perfect solution in the person of Jesus Christ, the unique God-man, who alone can "lay his hand upon us both" (humanity and divinity) and reconcile them through His mediatorial work, as explicitly taught in the New Testament. Job's desperate wish becomes a profound prophecy of Christ.