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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Job 13:1–12. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Job here warmly expresses his resentment of the unkindness of his friends.
I.He comes up with them as one that understood the matter in dispute as well as they, and did not need to be taught by them, Job 13:1, Job 13:2. They compelled him, as the Corinthians did Paul, to commend himself and his own knowledge, yet not in a way of self-applause, but of self-justification. All he had before said his eye had seen confirmed by many instances, and his ear had heard seconded by many authorities, and he well understood it and what use to make of it. Happy are those who not only see and hear, but understand, the greatness, glory, and sovereignty of God. This, he thought, would justify what he had said before (Job 12:3), which he repeats here (Job 13:2): "What you know, the same do I know also, so that I need not come to you to be taught; I am not inferior unto you in wisdom." Note, Those who enter into disputation enter into temptation to magnify themselves and vilify their brethren more than is fit, and therefore ought to watch and pray against the workings of pride.
II.He turns from them to God (Job 13:3):
Surely I would speak to the Almighty; as if he had said, "I can promise myself no satisfaction in talking to you. O that I might have liberty to reason with God! He would not be so hard upon me as you are." The prince himself will perhaps give audience to a poor petitioner with more mildness, patience, and condescension, than the servants will. Job would rather argue with God himself than with his friends. See here,
1.What confidence those have towards God whose hearts condemn them not of reigning hypocrisy: they can, with humble boldness, appear before him and appeal to him.
2.What comfort those have in God whose neighbours unjustly condemn them: if they may not speak to them with any hopes of a fair hearing, yet they may speak to the Almighty; they have easy access to him and shall find acceptance with him.
III.He condemns them for their unjust and uncharitable treatment of him, Job 13:4.
1.They falsely accused him, and that was unjust: You are forgers of lies. They framed a wrong hypothesis concerning the divine Providence, and misrepresented it, as if it did never remarkably afflict any but wicked men in this world, and thence they drew a false judgment concerning Job, that he was certainly a hypocrite. For this gross mistake, both in doctrine and application, he thinks an indictment of forgery lies against them. To speak lies is bad enough, though but at second hand, but to forge them with contrivance and deliberation is much worse; yet against this wrong neither innocency nor excellency will be a fence.
2.They basely deceived him, and that was unkind. They undertook his cure, and pretended to be his physicians; but they were all physicians of no value, "idol-physicians, who can do me no more good than an idol can." They were worthless physicians, who neither understood his case nor knew how to prescribe to him - mere empirics, who pretended to great things, but in conference added nothing to him: he was never the wiser for all they said. Thus to broken hearts and wounded consciences all creatures, without Christ, are physicians of no value, on which one may spend all and be never the better, but rather grow worse, Mar 5:26.
IV.He begs they would be silent and give him a patient hearing, Job 13:5, Job 13:6.
1.He thinks it would be a credit to them if they would say no more, having said too much already: "Hold your peace, and it shall be your wisdom, for thereby you will conceal your ignorance and ill-nature, which now appear in all you say." They pleaded that they could not forbear speaking (Job 4:2, Job 11:2, Job 11:3); but he tells them that they would better have consulted their own reputation if they had enjoined themselves silence. Better say nothing than nothing to the purpose or that which tends to the dishonour of God and the grief of our brethren. Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is accounted wise, because nothing appears to the contrary, Pro 17:28. And, as silence is an evidence of wisdom, so it is a means of it, as it gives time to think and hear.
2.He thinks it would be a piece of justice to him to hear what he had to say: Hear now my reasoning. Perhaps, though they did not interrupt him in his discourse, yet they seemed careless, and did not much heed what he said. He therefore begged that they would not only hear, but hearken. Note, We should be very willing and glad to hear what those have to say for themselves whom, upon any account, we are tempted to have hard thoughts of. Many a man, if he could but be fairly heard, would be fairly acquitted, even in the consciences of those that run him down.
V.He endeavours to convince them of the wrong they did to God's honour, while they pretended to plead for him, Job 13:7, Job 13:8.
They valued themselves upon it that they spoke for God, were advocates for him, and had undertaken to justify him and his proceedings against Job; and, being (as they thought) of counsel for the sovereign, they expected not only the ear of the court and the last word, but judgment on their side. But Job tells them plainly,
1.That God and his cause did not need such advocates: "Will you think to contend for God, as if his justice were clouded and wanted to be cleared up, or as if he were at a loss what to say and wanted you to speak for him? Will you, who are so weak and passionate, put in for the honour of pleading God's cause?" Good work ought not to be put into bad hands. Will you accept his person? If those who have not right on their side carry their cause, it is by the partiality of the judge in favour of their persons; but God's cause is so just that it needs no such methods for the support of it. He is a God, and can plead for himself (Jdg 6:31); and, if you were for ever silent, the heavens would declare his righteousness.
2.That God's cause suffered by such management. Under pretence of justifying God in afflicting Job they magisterially condemned him as a hypocrite and a bad man. "This" (says he) "is speaking wickedly" (for uncharitableness and censoriousness are wickedness, great wickedness; it is an offence to God to wrong our brethren); "it is talking deceitfully, for you condemn one whom yet perhaps your own consciences, at the same time, cannot but acquit. Your principles are false and your arguings fallacious, and will it excuse you to say, It is for God?" No, for a good intention will not justify, much less will it sanctify, a bad word or action. God's truth needs not our lie, nor God's cause either our sinful policies or our sinful passions. The wrath of man works not the righteousness of God, nor may we do evil that good may come, Rom 3:7, Rom 3:8. Pious frauds (as they call them) are impious cheats; and devout persecutions are horrid profanations of the name of God, as theirs who hated their brethren, and cast them out, saying, Let the Lord be glorified, Isa 66:5; Joh 16:2.
VI.He endeavours to possess them with a fear of God's judgment, and so to bring them to a better temper.
Let them not think to impose upon God as they might upon a man like themselves, nor expect to gain his countenance in their bad practices by pretending a zeal for him and his honour. "As one man mocks another by flattering him, do you think so to mock him and deceive him?" Assuredly those who think to put a cheat upon God will prove to have put a cheat upon themselves. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. That they might not think thus to jest with God, and affront him, Job would have them to consider both God and themselves, and then they would find themselves unable to enter into judgment with him.
1.Let them consider what a God he is into whose service they had thus thrust themselves, and to whom they really did so much disservice, and enquire whether they could give him a good account of what they did. Consider,
(1.)The strictness of his scrutiny and enquiries concerning them (Job 13:9) "Is it good that he should search you out? Can you bear to have the principles looked into which you go upon in your censures, and to have the bottom of the matter found out?" Note, It concerns us all seriously to consider whether it will be to our advantage or no that God searches the heart. It is good to an upright man who means honestly that God should search him; therefore he prays for it: Search me, O God! and know my heart. God's omniscience is a witness of his sincerity. But it is bad to him who looks one way and rows another that God should search him out, and lay him open to his confusion.
(2.)The severity of his rebukes and displeasure against them (Job 13:10): "If you do accept persons, though but secretly and in heart, he will surely reprove you; he will be so far from being pleased with your censures of me, though under colour of vindicating him, that he will resent them as a great provocation, as any prince or great man would if a base action were done under the sanction of his name and under the colour of advancing his interest." Note, What we do amiss we shall certainly be reproved for, one way or other, one time or other, though it be done ever so secretly.
(3.)The terror of his majesty, which if they would duly stand in awe of they would not do that which would make them obnoxious to his wrath (Job 13:11): "Shall not his excellency make you afraid? You that have great knowledge of God, and profess religion and a fear of him, how dare you talk at this rate and give yourselves so great a liberty of speech? Ought you not to walk and talk in the fear of God? Neh 5:9. Should not his dread fall upon you, and give a check to your passions?" Methinks Job speaks this as one that did himself know the terror of the Lord, and lived in a holy fear of him, whatever his friends suggested to the contrary. Note,
[1.]There is in God a dreadful excellency. He is the most excellent Being, has all excellencies in himself and in each infinitely excels any creature. His excellencies in themselves are amiable and lovely. He is the most beautiful Being; but considering man's distance from God by nature, and his defection and degeneracy by sin, his excellencies are dreadful. His power, holiness, justice, yea, and his goodness too, are dreadful excellencies. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness.
[2.]A holy awe of this dreadful excellency should fall upon us and make us afraid. This would awaken impenitent sinners and bring them to repentance, and would influence all to be careful to please him and afraid of offending him.
2.Let them consider themselves, and what an unequal match they were for this great God (Job 13:12): "Your remembrances (all that in you for which you hope to be remembered when you are gone) are like unto ashes, worthless and weak, and easily trampled on and blown away. Your bodies are like bodies of clay, mouldering and coming to nothing. Your memories, you think, will survive your bodies, but, alas! they are like ashes which will be shovelled up with your dust." Note, the consideration of our own meanness and mortality should make us afraid of offending God, and furnishes a good reason why we should not despise and trample upon our brethren. Bishop Patrick gives another sense of this verse: "Your remonstrances on God's behalf are no better than dust, and the arguments you accumulate but like so many heaps of dirt."
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
“If he follows your traces,” Job says. Therefore you, who speak so now would have not spoken so, if you were directly involved in the case that is judged. That is, if you were in my place and God were judging your matters with severity, you would have not judged my words as you do now. Or, to say things in a different manner, you, who speak so, would have not been judges of my words. In fact, Job says, even if you speak more, and you do everything to speak in God’s favor, he will not confound you any less and will ask you for explanations.
38. For when foolish men behold the doings of the wise, they all seem to them to be worthy of blame; who, forgetting their own emptiness and deficiency, pass judgment on the concerns of others the more eagerly, in proportion as they are more deeply ignorant of their own. But on the other hand, when the righteous reprove the deeds of the wicked, ever conscious of their own weakness, they administer reproof, though in launching forth against them outwardly, yet in sympathizing with them inwardly; in that it belongs to Him alone to scrutinize the sins of men without fellow-feeling, Who by the omnipotence of His nature knows not to commit sin. Therefore, as the friends of blessed Job had so reproved his deeds as if they had nothing in themselves to be reproved, it is well said in this place, Will ye take His face? Will ye strive to judge for God? For to ‘take the face of God’ is to assume His authority in the act of judging; and he as it were ‘strives to judge for God,’ who when he reproves the several weak points in another, does not feel weak in himself within from fellow-feeling.
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Summary
Job 13:8 encapsulates Job's profound and courageous challenge to his three friends, questioning the very foundation of their arguments and their presumed defense of God. He accuses them of a spiritual partiality, akin to a human judge showing favoritism, implying that their zealous arguments for God are, in fact, a misrepresentation of divine justice and character. Job contends that their theological pronouncements are built on falsehoods and a rigid, simplistic understanding of suffering, highlighting the critical importance of integrity and truthfulness, even—and especially—when attempting to speak on behalf of God.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is situated within Job's third major response to his friends (chapters 12-14), a pivotal shift from lament to direct confrontation. Having endured their repeated accusations that his suffering is a direct consequence of hidden sin, Job vehemently rejects their "comfort" and "worthless proverbs" Job 13:12. He dismisses them as "physicians of no value" Job 13:4 and expresses a deep longing to present his case directly to God, confident that God would hear him justly, unlike his human interlocutors who presume to speak for God but do so with flawed theology and judgmental partiality. Job 13:8 specifically targets the method and integrity of their theological defense, implying that their zeal for God is misguided and ultimately dishonoring to Him.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Book of Job is set in the ancient Near East, likely in the patriarchal era, a time when the dominant worldview often linked prosperity directly to righteousness and suffering to sin. This "retribution theology" forms the bedrock of the friends' arguments. In ancient judicial systems, the concept of "accepting a person" (or "lifting up the face") was a widely understood idiom for showing favoritism, partiality, or bias, often influenced by social status or personal gain. Such partiality was explicitly and repeatedly condemned in Israelite law (e.g., Deuteronomy 1:17 and Leviticus 19:15). Job masterfully employs this common legal and social understanding to critique his friends' theological "judgment" of him, suggesting they are applying a similar, condemned partiality in their zealous, yet misguided, defense of God against his perceived sin.
Key Themes
Job 13:8 profoundly contributes to several central themes woven throughout the book. Firstly, it underscores the theme of false wisdom and the misrepresentation of God. The friends, despite their sincere intentions, operate from a rigid theological framework that ultimately distorts God's character and justice, a fact later affirmed by God Himself Job 42:7. Secondly, the verse highlights the critical importance of integrity in discourse and truth-telling, even within theological debate. Job forcefully argues that defending God through deceit, flawed reasoning, or biased judgment is not true service, emphasizing that God does not require human lies or partiality to uphold His righteousness Job 13:7. Lastly, it touches upon the profound theme of divine justice versus human understanding, questioning humanity's capacity to fully comprehend God's complex ways or to presume to speak for Him without complete knowledge, a theme that climaxes in God's majestic speeches from the whirlwind in Job 38-41.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
The verb נָשָׂא (nâsâʼ) means "to lift, carry, bear." In the specific idiom "accept his person" (נָשָׂא פָנִים, nâsâʼ pânîym), it literally translates to "to lift up the face." This idiom signifies showing favor, partiality, or undue deference to someone, often unjustly, by overlooking their faults or judging them based on their status rather than on merit or truth. It implies a bias that distorts justice and fairness. Job uses this to accuse his friends of a theological partiality, where they are "lifting up God's face" in a way that compromises truth.
The noun פָּנִים (pânîym), meaning "face," is central to the idiom "to lift up the face" (nâsâʼ pânîym). In this context, "person" refers to one's presence, appearance, or status, especially as it might influence judgment. The idiom highlights the act of showing favoritism, not based on the merits of a case, but on the identity or perceived importance of the one being judged or defended. Job implies his friends are so focused on defending God's person (as they understand Him) that they are willing to misrepresent truth and condemn Job unjustly.
The verb רִיב (rîyb) means "to strive, contend, dispute, plead a cause." It refers to engaging in a legal or verbal dispute, often with an adversarial connotation. Job questions not whether his friends should contend for God, but how they are doing so. He implies their method of contention is fundamentally flawed because it is based on partiality and false premises, rather than a genuine, truthful defense of God's character rooted in reality.
Verse Breakdown
"Will ye accept his person?"
This rhetorical question is a sharp accusation. Job challenges his friends, implying they are showing a biased favoritism towards God, not out of genuine reverence, but in a way that distorts justice and misrepresents God's true character. It's as if they are attempting to curry favor with God by condemning Job, rather than seeking the truth of the situation. This "acceptance of person" is a form of theological sycophancy, prioritizing a rigid, simplistic view of God's justice over the complex reality of Job's suffering.
"will ye contend for God?"
This second rhetorical question probes the integrity and legitimacy of their arguments. Job acknowledges their stated aim is to "contend for God," to defend His righteousness and sovereignty. However, he questions whether their method of contention is legitimate or truly honors God, given their partiality, their reliance on false assumptions about Job's sin, and their narrow understanding of divine ways. He implies that a defense based on falsehood, bias, or a misrepresentation of truth is not a true defense at all, but rather an insult to the very God they claim to serve.
Literary Devices
Job 13:8 powerfully employs Rhetorical Questions to directly challenge the friends' motivations and the integrity of their arguments. By posing these questions, Job compels them (and the reader) to critically examine the underlying assumptions and ethical foundations of their theological discourse, rather than simply accepting their stated intentions. The verse's core accusation hinges on the Idiom "accept his person" (Hebrew: nâsâʼ pânîym), which is a form of Figurative Language. This idiom, drawing on a common legal and social understanding of partiality, serves as a potent Analogy, comparing the friends' theological defense of God to a biased judicial proceeding. This analogy effectively highlights the injustice and the flawed nature of their accusations against Job. Furthermore, the verse exhibits strong Parallelism in its two clauses, where the second clause ("will ye contend for God?") elaborates on and intensifies the nature of the partiality implied in the first ("Will ye accept his person?"), creating a cohesive and impactful challenge that exposes the hypocrisy of their position.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Job 13:8 delivers a profound theological challenge, asserting that zeal for God can never justify dishonest or partial means. It underscores a crucial biblical principle: God's righteousness and character do not require, nor are they honored by, human falsehood, biased defense, or rigid theological frameworks that condemn the innocent. True defense of God's character must be rooted in truth, integrity, humility, and a profound acknowledgment of the limits of human understanding concerning divine ways. The friends' error was not their desire to defend God's sovereignty, but their arrogant presumption to know God's mind perfectly and their willingness to condemn Job based on a flawed, rigid theological framework rather than seeking genuine understanding, showing compassion, or acknowledging the mystery of suffering. This verse serves as a powerful and timeless warning against theological arrogance and the dangers of defending God with arguments that are not fully truthful, just, or compassionate.
Reflection and Application
Job 13:8 presents a timeless and piercing challenge to believers across all generations: how do we truly "contend for God" in a manner that genuinely honors Him and accurately reflects His character? This verse calls us to rigorous self-examination, urging us to ensure that our defense of theological truths and our engagement in spiritual discourse are always grounded in unwavering integrity, profound humility, and a genuine, compassionate pursuit of truth, rather than in rigid dogma, personal biases, or a desire to appear righteous or "win" an argument. We must vigilantly guard against the temptation to condemn others based on incomplete information, simplistic explanations of suffering, or a narrow understanding of divine justice. Instead, we are called to cultivate deep compassion, exercise careful discernment, and embrace a willingness to acknowledge the inherent mystery of God's ways. This powerful verse reminds us that God does not require our lies, our partiality, or our flawed reasoning to uphold His glory; He desires our truthfulness, our justice, and our love. Our witness for God is most potent and persuasive when it is characterized by unwavering honesty, intellectual humility, and a profound respect for the dignity of others, even—and especially—in moments of profound disagreement or theological debate.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "accept his person" mean in this context?
In Job 13:8, "accept his person" translates the Hebrew idiom nâsâʼ pânîym (נָשָׂא פָנִים), which literally means "to lift up the face." This phrase, particularly in a judicial or argumentative context, signifies showing favoritism, partiality, or undue deference to someone based on their status, perceived authority, or simply to curry favor, rather than judging a matter based on truth and facts. Job is accusing his friends of showing such partiality towards God, not necessarily out of genuine reverence, but in a way that distorts justice and misrepresents God's character by condemning Job without full understanding. It implies they are more concerned with appearing to be on God's side and upholding a rigid theological system than with discerning the truth of Job's situation, a practice explicitly condemned in biblical law and wisdom literature (e.g., Deuteronomy 1:17 and Proverbs 24:23).
Why does Job challenge his friends' "contending for God"?
Job challenges his friends' "contending for God" because he believes their defense of God is fundamentally flawed and based on false premises. While their stated intention is to uphold God's righteousness and sovereignty, Job sees their arguments as misrepresenting God's true character and justice. They rigidly adhere to the doctrine of immediate retribution, assuming Job's immense suffering must be due to hidden sin. Job argues that in their misguided zeal to defend God, they are resorting to deceit, partiality, and a narrow, incomplete understanding of divine ways. He implies that God does not need human lies, flawed logic, or biased accusations to be defended, and that such a defense actually dishonors Him. This foreshadows God's own rebuke of the friends in Job 42:7, where He states, "You have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." Job's challenge highlights the paramount importance of integrity and truthfulness, even—and especially—in theological discourse.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
While Job 13:8 directly addresses the integrity of human defense of God, it finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The friends' flawed attempt to "contend for God" by condemning an innocent man stands in stark contrast to God's ultimate self-vindication and revelation in Christ. Jesus perfectly embodied truth and integrity, never needing to resort to partiality, falsehood, or rigid theological systems to defend God's character. He is the ultimate revelation of God's justice and mercy, demonstrating that God's ways are infinitely more complex, redemptive, and loving than human retribution theology could ever conceive. Unlike Job's friends who misjudged and condemned, Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, took upon Himself the condemnation due to humanity, thereby truly vindicating God's righteousness and love without any compromise of truth. His life, death, and resurrection reveal a God who does not need human partiality or flawed arguments to be glorified, but rather a God who, in His infinite wisdom and love, provides a perfect, righteous way for humanity to be reconciled to Him—not through human accusations or self-righteous defenses, but through divine sacrifice and grace. The New Testament consistently portrays Jesus as the one who perfectly reveals the Father John 14:9, and whose defense of God's character is not through human reasoning but through His very being and redemptive work, demonstrating that God is love and that He justifies the ungodly through faith in Christ.