hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alph… · cardinal number, both genders 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
Job 10:2 I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.
Job 40:2 Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
Job 9:20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
Job 9:32-33 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.
Job 23:3-7 Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!
Job 31:35-37 Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.
Job 33:13 Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
Psalms 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 9:1-13
Bildad began with a rebuke to Job for talking so much, Job 8:2. Job makes no answer to that, though it would have been easy enough to retort it upon himself; but in what he next lays down as his principle, that God never perverts judgment, Job agrees with him: I know it is so of a truth, Job 9:2. Note, We should be ready to own how far we agree with those with whom we dispute, and should not slight, much less resist, a truth, though produced by an adversary and urged against us, but receive it in the light and love of it, though it may have been misapplied. "It is so of a truth, that wickedness brings men to ruin and the godly are taken under God's special protection. These are truths which…
If he--God
will contend with him--literally, "deign to enter into judgment."
he cannot answer, &c.--He (man) would not dare, even if he had a thousand answers in readiness to one question of God's, to utter one of them, from awe of His Majesty.
John Gill on Job 9:3
If he will contend with him,.... If God will contend with man, so Sephorno; enter into a controversy with him, litigate and dispute the point in law, whether he is just or not, man cannot answer to the allegations he will produce; or if man should contend with God, a potsherd strive with its maker, to what purpose would it be? he could never avail himself by such a procedure; the match is unequal, there is no striving or contending with God in a judicial, way:
he cannot answer him one of a thousand; which some understand, that God will not answer men; he will not vouchsafe to give an answer to such that plead with him, or talk with him of his judgments in providence, or pretend to vindicate…
1 Then Job began, and said:
2 Yea, indeed, I know it is thus,
And how should a man be just with God!
3 Should he wish to contend with God,
He could not answer Him one of a thousand.
4 The wise in heart and mighty in strength,
Who hath defied Him and remained unhurt?
Job does not (Job 9:1) refer to what Eliphaz said (Job 4:17), which is similar, though still not exactly the same; but "indeed I know it is so" must be supposed to be an assert to that which Bildad had said immediately before. The chief thought of Bildad's speech was, that God does not pervert what is right. Certainly (אמנם, scilicet, nimirum, like Job 12:2), - says Job, as he ironically confirms this maxim of Bildad's, - it is s…
The Church Fathers
"A thousand accusations we can not answer to one. In all he will prove that they are guilty.
"He is wise in mind, mighty and strong," with good reason. Indeed, since God is wise, his benefits are countless. But if you do not believe, O mortal, let us bring our reflection to its conclusion. If he pronounces one thousand words, we cannot answer a single one. These are wise words. In fact, that righteous man said, "Also the righteous will be happy." About what righteous man is he speaking? But where will we ever find a man who is righteous before God? "Not one of his thousand words." This is exactly what the prophet said as well: "No living person will be found righteous before you." "If you observe our faults, O Lord, O Lord, who will survive?" … God has created human nature. Why? Out of pure benevolence, as all the rest of creation. He has created the universe and all the rest for humans. He stated a commandment, but humanity did not consider it. Afterward he gave them the law, but they neglected it. Then he sent his Son, but they did not consider him either. Then he gave them repentance, but they did not ponder it. Then he threatened them with the punishment of hell, but they disregarded it. But why did he want to save them? Do you want us to ask Paul himself? Listen to what he says: "God dealt with me mercifully because I acted in the ignorance of disbelief." And then, after being called, Paul testified to the profound and providential care, of which he was an object.
If thou wilt contend with Him, thou shalt not be able to answer Him one of a thousand. In Holy Scripture, the number a thousand is wont to be taken for totality. Hence the Psalmist saith, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations; when it is sufficiently plain that from the very beginning of the world up to the coming of our Lord no more than seventy-seven generations are reckoned up by the Evangelist. What then is represented in the number a thousand, save, until the bringing forth of the new offspring, the complete whole of the race foreseen. Hence it is said by John, And shall reign with Him a thousand years; for that the reign of Holy Church is made complete by being perfected in entireness. Now forasmuch as a unit being multiplied is brought to ten, and ten being taken into itself is expanded to one hundred, which again being multiplied by ten is extended to a thousand, since we set out with one to get to one thousand, what is here denoted by the designation of 'one' but the commencement of good living? what by the fulness of the number 'a thousand,' but the perfection of that good life? Now to contend with God is not to ascribe to Him but to take to one's self the glory of one's goodness. But let the holy man consider that the man who has already received even the chiefest gifts, if he is lifted up for what has been vouchsafed him, parts with all that he had received, and let him say, If he will contend with Him, he cannot answer Him one of a thousand. For he, that 'contends' with his Maker, is unable to 'answer Him one of a thousand,' in that the man that sets himself up on the score of perfection, proves that be lacks the very beginning of good living. For we cannot 'answer Him one of a thousand,' since when we are lifted up for perfection of good life, we shew that we have not so much as begun this. Now we are then more really moved by our weakness, when by reflection, we are led to form an estimate how infinite is the power of the Judge.
Dictionary and topics
Depravity Of Man · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Justification Before God · Under law: Man cannot attain to — Under law: Man cannot attain to
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).
