Job 9

9:1-35 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, 14-16, 19b, 32), the possibility of self-incrimination (9:20), an arbiter (9:33-34), an accusatory question (9:12), a legal sentence (9:22), and a declaration of guilt (9:28-30).

9:3 If someone wanted to take God to court: Job later expressed the wish to meet God in court (13:3, 15, 23; 23:4).

9:5-6 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), judge (Jer 4:24), or rescuer (Ps 18:7; Isa 13:13; 29:6).

9:9 The Bear (also at 38:32) 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; Amos 5:8).

9:13 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; Ps 89:11; Isa 51:9).

9:17 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 Job was indeed innocent (1:1, 7; 2:3), and he maintained this claim throughout the debate (23:11-12; 27:5; 31:1-40).

9:28 The word you makes it clear that this is a prayer, although the phrase O God is not explicit in the Hebrew.

9:30 wash myself: Job spoke of cleansing himself with the strongest soap to represent ridding himself of all sin (1:5; cp. Ps 26:6; Matt 27:24).

9:31 The muddy ditch (literally pit) can refer to the place of the dead (17:14; 33:18), 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; see Isa 61:10; 64:6; Rev 19:8).

9:32-33 A mediator would not judge God and man but would work to bring them together (see 16:19-21).