Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job accuses his friends of a subtle but dangerous form of bias: they're not truly defending God, but rather, defending their idea of God by blindly siding with Him against Job, no matter the evidence. They're essentially asking God to confirm their preconceived notions, rather than seeking truth in God's own actions and the reality of Job's suffering.
Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job feels intensely that his friends are unfairly judging him, not based on his actual situation, but by automatically siding with God. He's challenging them, asking if they're willing to twist their arguments and "play favorites" for God, even if it means ignoring the truth of Job's suffering and his sincere plea for understanding. This is part of his larger struggle to get his friends to truly listen to him rather than just spout theological platitudes.
Job is confronting his friends with a sharp accusation. Are they truly seeking justice, or just playing favorites?
Job calls out his friends for 'accepting persons.' This means they weren't evaluating his situation fairly. Instead of looking at the facts of Job's case, they were showing partiality. They seemed to favor God's 'side' without genuinely examining Job's suffering or his arguments. It's like a judge who decides the case based on who they like or who seems more powerful, rather than on the evidence presented. Job felt they were taking God's perceived honor over truth and fairness.
Job's friends are acting like lawyers, but whose case are they really trying to win?
Job challenges his friends, asking, 'Will you plead the case for God?' He's suggesting they are acting as God's defenders, but in a way that twists justice. They seem to believe that to defend God's honor, they must condemn Job, regardless of the evidence. Job argues that God doesn't need them to 'wrangle' or 'cavil' on His behalf. True defense of God isn't about blindly justifying Him or condemning suffering people; it's about aligning with His truth and justice. Their zeal felt misplaced, serving their own need to appear righteous rather than truly upholding God.
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pānīm nāśāʾ · Hebrew Verb phrase
Showing favor or bias toward one party over another, often to the detriment of justice. In a theological sense, it is condemned because God is no respecter of persons.
This verse directly addresses the sin of partiality in judgment, highlighting that showing favoritism based on a person's status is wrong, a concept Job is accusing his friends of.
Deuteronomy 1:17This passage reiterates the prohibition against showing partiality in judgment, emphasizing that judgment belongs to God. Job feels his friends are overstepping by judging him, seemingly on God's behalf.
1 Samuel 15:22This verse illustrates that obedience is better than sacrifice, and that true devotion to God involves listening to Him, not blindly defending His actions or 'contending for Him' with faulty reasoning as Job accuses his friends of doing.
Galatians 2:6Paul speaks about how God shows no partiality, a truth Job invokes to challenge his friends who seem to be taking God's side without a fair hearing of the facts.
Proverbs 18:5This proverb warns against showing partiality to the wicked or perverting justice, echoing Job's accusation that his friends are not seeking truth but are unfairly biased against him.
clarkeJob 13:8: "Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?"
Will ye accept his person? - Do you think to act by him as you would by a mortal; and, by telling lies in his favor, attempt to conciliate his esteem?
cambridgeJob 13:8: "Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?"
8 . The same charge put more explicitly. To accept the person of one is to be partial on his side, cf. Job 13:10 . contend for God ] i. e. will ye play the advocate for God? The charge made against his friends by Job is that they had no knowledge of his guilt, and merely took part for God against him out of servility to God. This servility was nothing but a superficial religiousness, allied to superstition, which did not form its c…
Job accuses his friends of a subtle but dangerous form of bias: they're not truly defending God, but rather, defending their idea of God by blindly siding with Him against Job, no matter the evidence. They're essentially asking God to confirm their preconceived notions, rather than seeking truth in God's own actions and the reality of Job's suffering.
Job feels intensely that his friends are unfairly judging him, not based on his actual situation, but by automatically siding with God. He's challenging them, asking if they're willing to twist their arguments and "play favorites" for God, even if it means ignoring the truth of Job's suffering and his sincere plea for understanding. This is part of his larger struggle to get his friends to truly listen to him rather than just spout theological platitudes.
Job feels intensely that his friends are unfairly judging him, not based on his actual situation, but by automatically siding with God. He's challenging them, asking if they're willing to twist their arguments and "play favorites" for God, even if it means ignoring the truth of Job's suffering and his sincere plea for understanding. This is part of his larger struggle to get his friends to truly listen to him rather than just spout theological platitudes.
"Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God?" — Job accuses his friends of a subtle but dangerous form of bias: they're not truly defending God, but rather, defending their idea of God by blindly siding with Him against Job, no matter the eviden…
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Last reviewed October 2026