perhaps properly · verb, piel imperfect, 1st person common singular
Almighty
שַׁדַּ֣יsha.Dai
H7706
the Almighty · proper noun, a title
desire
אֶחְפָּֽץ'ech.Patz
H2654
properly · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
reason
וְהוֹכֵ֖חַve.ho.Khe.ach
H3198
to be right (i.e. correct) · conjunction + verb, hiphil infinitive absolute
God
אֵ֣ל'el
H410
strength · noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Isaiah 41:21 Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
Job 9:3 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.
Job 13:22 Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.
Job 31:35 Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.
Isaiah 1:18-20 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red lik…
Job 9:14-15 How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?
Job 9:34-35 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:
Job 11:5 But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 13:1-12
Job here warmly expresses his resentment of the unkindness of his friends.
I. He comes up with them as one that understood the matter in dispute as well as they, and did not need to be taught by them, Job 13:1, Job 13:2. They compelled him, as the Corinthians did Paul, to commend himself and his own knowledge, yet not in a way of self-applause, but of self-justification. All he had before said his eye had seen confirmed by many instances, and his ear had heard seconded by many authorities, and he well understood it and what use to make of it. Happy are those who not only see and hear, but understand, the greatness, glory, and sovereignty of God. This, he thought, would justify what he had sa…
Job wishes to plead his cause before God (Job 9:34-35), as he is more and more convinced of the valueless character of his would-be "physicians" (Job 16:2).
John Gill on Job 13:3
Surely I would speak to the Almighty,.... Or "therefore I would speak" (l), since he knew as much as his friends, and they knew no more than he, if so much, he would have no more to do with them, they should not be his judges; nor would he be determined by them, but would appeal to God, and plead his own cause before him, by whom he doubted not he should be candidly heard; he knew that he was the Judge of all the earth, and would do right; and that he sat on a throne judging righteously, and would maintain his right and his cause; that he would judge him according to his righteousness and integrity, of which he was conscious, and would pass a just decisive sentence in his favour, and give th…
3 But I would speak to the Almighty,
And I long to reason with God.
4 And ye however are forgers of lies,
Physicians of no value are ye all.
5 Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace,
It would be accounted to you as wisdom.
6 Hear now my instruction,
Ando hearken to the answers of my lips!
He will no longer dispute with the friends; the more they oppose him, the more earnestly he desires to be able to argue his cause before God. אוּלם (Job 13:3) is disjunctive, like ἀλλά, and introduces a new range of thoughts; lxx ου ̓ μήν δὲ ἀλλά, verum enim vero. True, he has said in Job 9 that no one can maintain his cause before God; but his confidence in God grows in proportion as his distrus…
The Church Fathers
This means, "I know the tremendous greatness of God, the endless wisdom of the Creator and his prodigious power; but even though I know that, 'I will speak to the Lord,' because if I know his power, I also know his justice. For he is just, he supports those who in the meantime, without rendering themselves accusers, speak to him. This teaches people that even though they are very righteous, they have to accept the judgments given to them. That is why 'I will reason before him, if he wants to.' For if he does not want, I will remain silent, because I know what is honorable to the servant. It is according to the command of the Lord that I will speak and will have the boldness to 'reason before him.' "
Yet still I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. We 'speak with the Almighty,' when we beseech His pity; but we 'reason with Him,' when uniting ourselves to His righteousness, we sift our actions with minute investigation. Or otherwise, to 'reason with God,' is for him who obeyed His commandments here, to come with Him hereafter as Judge to judge the people. As it is said to the Preachers that leave all things, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Whence the Lord saith by Isaiah too, Relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together. For it is light that they should reason with God concerning their charges in the Judgment, who, at the words of God, entirely give up the present world. Thus the 'speaking' has to do with prayer, and the 'reasoning' has to do with judgment, Therefore the holy man 'speaks' to the Almighty now, that he may 'reason' with the Almighty hereafter, in that He cometh with God afterwards as a judge, who here in this present time was familiar with Him in prayer. But Holy Church, whom we have already said that blessed Job bears the likeness of, not only then judges the wicked, when the day of final Judgment shall come, but even now doth not cease to judge all that either act wickedly, or think foolishly.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Reasoning · With God — With God
Self-Righteousness · 2:9; — 2:9;
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
