Job 9:32 expresses Job’s sense that he cannot bring his case before God as an equal, because God is not a human being who can be questioned and answered in a courtroom. Job is lamenting that there is no one who can stand between himself and God to hear them both and settle the dispute. The words are spoken by Job, the suffering man at the center of the book that bears his name, during one of his speeches to his friends about his innocence and his desire to be heard.
For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, that we should come together in judgment.
Job 9:32 (WEB)
What Job 9:32 Means
Job begins with “he is not a man, as I am,” which points to the enormous gap between human and divine. Job is a mortal who can speak, argue, and be answered by another mortal. God, by contrast, is not limited the way people are and does not stand on the same footing as Job when a legal matter is weighed. Job feels that the normal tools of justice, where two parties can face each other before a judge, simply do not apply to the Creator.
The phrase “that I should answer him, that we should come together in judgment” describes the courtroom Job wishes he could have. He wants to face God, present his case, and receive a fair hearing. The verse does not promise that such a meeting is possible, and it is in fact Job’s complaint that it seems impossible. Read honestly, the verse expresses frustration and longing, not a settled doctrine of how God can be approached.
The Context of Job 9:32
The Book of Job is a wisdom and poetry book of the Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Moses by some and by others to an unknown author, and its setting is unclear. It is written for readers who wrestle with why righteous people suffer. The surrounding verses show Job arguing that he can wash himself clean with snow and still be thrown into a ditch by God (Job 9:30-31), which captures his sense that no amount of personal righteousness seems to matter in God’s sight.
The verses that follow, where Job says there is “no umpire between us” who could lay a hand on both (Job 9:33), make clear what he is missing. He is longing for an arbiter, someone who could bring them together fairly. Seen this way, verse 32 is the heart of Job’s grievance: he wants a meeting and a hearing, and he cannot see how one is possible.
Key Phrases in Job 9:32
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…
(WEB)
This verse speaks of one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus. It answers the longing Job expressed in verse 32 by showing that a means of reconciliation has been provided, so that people are no longer left without someone to stand between them and God.
Hebrews 4:15-16
15 For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.
(WEB)
These verses describe a high priest who understands human weakness and invites believers to approach the throne of grace with confidence. They speak to the sense of distance Job felt by pointing to the open access believers now have to God.
A Short Prayer From Job 9:32
Lord, I confess that there are times I feel as Job did, wanting to be heard and unsure how to reach You. You are not a man as I am, and Your ways are higher than mine. Help me to bring my questions and my pain to You honestly, without pretending they are not there. Thank You that You have made a way for me to draw near, and that You hear those who call on You in truth. Give me patience to wait for Your answers and trust in Your faithfulness. Amen.
