King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: [if I say], I [am] perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Even if I'm right, my own mouth will condemn me; if I'm innocent, it would pronounce me guilty.
Berean Standard Bible:
Even if I were righteous, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.
American Standard Version:
Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me: Though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
If I justify{H6663} myself, mine own mouth{H6310} shall condemn{H7561} me: if I say, I am perfect{H8535}, it shall also prove me perverse{H6140}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Job 15:5
- For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
Job 15:6
- Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
Job 34:35
- Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words [were] without wisdom.
Psalms 143:2
- And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
Job 1:1
- ¶ There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Psalms 130:3
- If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
Job 9:2
- I know [it is] so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
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Commentary for Job 9:20
Job 9:20 is a part of the poetic dialogues in the Book of Job, which is one of the books in the Wisdom Literature of the Hebrew Bible. The Book of Job deals with the problem of theodicy, the question of why a good God permits the suffering of the innocent. In the historical context, the Book of Job likely emerged during or after the Babylonian Exile (6th century BCE), a period when the Jewish people grappled with theological questions about God's justice in the face of profound suffering.
In this verse, Job, who has lost everything—his wealth, his children, and his health—is responding to the accusations of his friends who suggest that his suffering must be a punishment for sin. Job maintains his innocence throughout the dialogues, but here he acknowledges the complexity of human righteousness. The themes of this verse include the frailty of human justification, the inadequacy of self-righteousness, and the recognition that human speech can be self-incriminating.
Job expresses a deep sense of the limitations of human wisdom and the inability to stand justified before God. He recognizes that claiming perfection is not only arrogant but also self-defeating, as it can reveal one's own perversity or moral twistedness. This reflects the broader theme in the book that human beings cannot hope to fully understand or justify the ways of God, and that true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. Job's candid acknowledgment of his inability to defend himself sets the stage for the theophany in chapters 38-41, where God himself answers Job, not with justifications but with a display of divine wisdom and power that puts human suffering into perspective.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H6663
There are 40 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צָדַק
Transliteration: tsâdaq
Pronunciation: tsaw-dak'
Description: a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) right (in a moral or forensic sense); cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just(-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be turn to) righteous(-ness). - Strong's Number: H6310
There are 460 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פֶּה
Transliteration: peh
Pronunciation: peh
Description: from פָּאָה; the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech); specifically edge, portion or side; adverbially (with preposition) according to; accord(-ing as, -ing to), after, appointment, assent, collar, command(-ment), [idiom] eat, edge, end, entry, [phrase] file, hole, [idiom] in, mind, mouth, part, portion, [idiom] (should) say(-ing), sentence, skirt, sound, speech, [idiom] spoken, talk, tenor, [idiom] to, [phrase] two-edged, wish, word. - Strong's Number: H7561
There are 34 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רָשַׁע
Transliteration: râshaʻ
Pronunciation: raw-shah'
Description: a primitive root; to be (causatively, do or declare) wrong; by implication, to disturb, violate; condemn, make trouble, vex, be (commit, deal, depart, do) wicked(-ly, -ness). - Strong's Number: H8535
There are 13 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: תָּם
Transliteration: tâm
Pronunciation: tawm
Description: from תָּמַם; complete; usually (morally) pious; specifically, gentle, dear; coupled together, perfect, plain, undefiled, upright. - Strong's Number: H6140
There are 5 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עָקַשׁ
Transliteration: ʻâqash
Pronunciation: aw-kash'
Description: a primitive root; to knot or distort; figuratively, to pervert (act or declare perverse); make crooked, (prove, that is) perverse(-rt).