Job’s lament here highlights a crucial, often overlooked distinction: God is not a fellow human. The sheer gulf in power and nature means a courtroom showdown between Job and God isn't just unfair, it's impossible to even imagine on equal terms.
For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me. Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so in myself.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is lamenting that God is not like him, a mere man with whom he could reason or debate his case on equal footing. He feels utterly outmatched by God’s infinite power and justice, making any attempt to plead his innocence or demand an explanation seem futile and impossible. This leads him to express a longing for a mediator, someone who could stand between them and arbitrate their dispute.
Job feels trapped in a cosmic trial with no hope of winning. Why? Because his opponent isn't just powerful; He's fundamentally different.
Job declares, "he is not a man, as I am." This isn't just a statement of power; it's about the very nature of being. God isn't just a bigger, stronger human. He is infinite, eternal, and pure spirit, while Job is finite, frail, and fallen. Trying to debate or plead a case with God is like a puddle trying to argue with the ocean. The sheer disparity in majesty, wisdom, justice, and being makes a human-style legal battle impossible.
Think about it: how could Job, a mortal man with limited understanding and inherent sin, possibly stand before an all-knowing, all-holy God and present a defense that would satisfy divine justice? The gulf is too vast. Human arguments and defenses, which work between people, crumble in the face of God’s absolute perfection.
Job's desperate plea isn't just about his innocence; it reveals a deep-seated human need for someone who can bridge the impossible gap between us and God.
Job’s lament, "that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together," is more than just frustration. It’s a cry for a fair trial, which he knows is impossible with God directly. This leads him to wish for a 'daysman' or umpire – someone who could stand between him and God, lay a hand on both, and arbitrate the dispute.
This longing for a mediator, for someone to bridge the infinite distance, is a profound human and spiritual yearning. Job, in his suffering, articulates a need that the entire created order has. While he couldn’t fully grasp it, his words point forward. The New Testament reveals this mediator as Jesus Christ, who, being both God and man, uniquely lays His hand on both parties, mediating between a holy God and sinful humanity.
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Understand the original words
ish · Hebrew Noun
A human being, distinguished here from God by mortality, frailty, and limitations; the term highlights the ontological chasm between the Creator and the creature.
mishpat · Hebrew Noun
A formal legal process or judgment; often refers to a litigation or contention where parties seek to resolve a dispute or establish truth before a judge.
mokiyach · Hebrew Noun
One who settles a dispute or reconciles parties; an intermediary or umpire who stands between two sides to bring about an equitable resolution.
shebet · Hebrew Noun
A symbol of discipline, authority, power, or punishment used by God to correct His people or assert His sovereign control over creation.
eymah · Hebrew Noun
A profound, overwhelming sense of awe or terror often associated with the presence of God or the manifestation of His holiness, power, and judgment.
ba'ath · Hebrew Verb
The response of overwhelming fear or alarm, often paralyzing the individual, especially when confronting the divine or the unknown.
pachad · Hebrew Noun
A respectful, holy, or reverent fear of God; in a state of sin or alienation, this can also manifest as terror or cowering before His righteous judgment.
Job's lament arises from the profound crisis of national identity and divine justice triggered by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, forcing him to grapple with God's overwhelming power and inscrutable ways.
c. 1000 BC
United Monarchy of Israel
The period of a unified Israelite kingdom under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, representing a peak of national identity and religious centrality.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the unified kingdom splits into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, leading to political instability and religious divergence.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting its population and scattering them, a devastating event that highlights divine judgment and the precariousness of national existence.
c. 597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
The Babylonian Empire, under Nebuchadnezzar II, begins deporting Judeans, including elites and skilled workers, to Babylon, marking the start of the Judahite exile.
c. 587/586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, the center of Israelite worship and national identity, leading to a second, larger deportation and the most profound crisis of faith for the people.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest and Decree of Cyrus
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, and issues a decree allowing exiled peoples, including the Judahites, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples.
This passage echoes Job's sentiment by highlighting that Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, implying He is the one who can stand between us and God for judgment.
1 Timothy 2:5Job's longing for a mediator is fulfilled here, stating there is one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, who can bridge the infinite gap Job perceives.
Hebrews 9:24This verse shows Christ entering heaven to appear for us, directly addressing Job's predicament by presenting Him as the one who stands before God on our behalf, not needing to come to earthly judgment.
Isaiah 45:23Job's realization that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to God is here presented as a future certainty, reinforcing the ultimate sovereignty of God that Job grapples with.
ellicottJob 9:32: "For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment."
(32, 33) For he is not a man, as I am . . . —Is not that confession, if we believe that such a daysman as Job longed for has been given, itself a witness that it came from God, and was given by God? The light that has shined upon us was shining then in the heart of Job, and shines for ever in the pages of his book. Job felt, as he had been taught to feel, that in himself there not only w…
pooleJob 9:32: "For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment."
He is not a man, as I am; but one infinitely superior to me in majesty, and power, and wisdom, and justice. That I should answer him; that I should presume to debate my cause with him, or answer his allegations against me. That we should come together, face to face, to plead upon equal terms before a superior and indifferent judge.
Job’s lament here highlights a crucial, often overlooked distinction: God is not a fellow human. The sheer gulf in power and nature means a courtroom showdown between Job and God isn't just unfair, it's impossible to even imagine on equal terms.
Job is lamenting that God is not like him, a mere man with whom he could reason or debate his case on equal footing. He feels utterly outmatched by God’s infinite power and justice, making any attempt to plead his innocence or demand an explanation seem futile and impossible. This leads him to express a longing for a mediator, someone who could stand between them and arbitrate their dispute.
Job is lamenting that God is not like him, a mere man with whom he could reason or debate his case on equal footing. He feels utterly outmatched by God’s infinite power and justice, making any attempt to plead his innocence or demand an explanation seem futile and impossible. This leads him to express a longing for a mediator, someone who could stand between them and arbitrate their dispute.
"For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread o…" — Job’s lament here highlights a crucial, often overlooked distinction: God is not a fellow human. The sheer gulf in power and nature means a courtroom showdown between Job and God isn't just unfair, i…
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Last reviewed October 2026
