Job 13 Study Notes

13:1-2 Job made clear that Zophar’s remarks about uninformed or stupid men (11:12) did not apply to him!

13:3 Job again (9:3,16,19,32) stated his desire to present his case before God. He’d had enough with making his case before finite, fallible men. He wanted a formal hearing before his divine adversary.

13:4-5 In Job’s opinion, not only were his friends not as wise as they assumed themselves to be (12:1), but like unskilled physicians they had misdiagnosed his symptoms. Their best display of wisdom would be their silence (Pr 17:28).

13:6 Hear and listen are familiar calls to pay attention to what the teacher (Dt 6:4; Pr 4:1,10; 5:1; 7:24) or poet (Dt 32:1; Jdg 5:3) has to say.

13:7 Job’s rhetorical questions implied that his friends, by taking God’s side against Job, had twisted traditional wisdom and applied it deceitfully. Surely God could not be helped by false and unjust testimony.

13:8 The phrase show partiality is a translation of a Hebrew idiom, literally, “lift up the face.” This expression has positive and negative connotations depending on the context. In Gn 32:21 it means to show respect for someone. In other contexts it means to show partiality (Ps 82:2; Pr 18:5), which was forbidden in Levitical legislation (Lv 19:15).

13:9-10 The way Job’s friends applied their misguided traditional wisdom to Job’s case was indefensible and would turn against them if God examined them instead.

13:11 If God called Job’s friends to account for their treatment of him, they would learn something of the majesty of God and it would terrify them. God’s judgment against the wicked brings fear and dread (Ex 15:16; Jr 49:5; Rv 6:16).

13:12 Instead of ink, a mixture of ash and water was sometimes used to write on a scroll, but the writing would soon disappear.

13:13 Job again asked for his friends’ silence (vv. 5-6) so he might speak his mind regardless of the cost.

13:14 Job suggested that in speaking his mind plainly he was putting his life at risk (lit “I take my flesh in my teeth”; i.e., “I expose myself to being consumed”). Yet he was so confident of his uprightness and integrity that he would take the chance and defend himself.

13:15 The Hebrew verb yachal can mean either “wait” (29:23) or “hope” (6:11). The CSB has Job hoping in God (for vindication) even if God kills him. Alternatively, in the consonantal text (a Hb text that has no vowel points) the verb is preceded by a particle normally understood as a negative (see textual footnote), which would have Job observing that God might kill him, leaving him without hope (10:20-22). In either rendering, Job believed that his cause was just and that he must defend the uprightness of his ways. Job felt that he had nothing to lose by this risky move, because God seemed determined to find some charge against him in order to destroy him (9:20-21; 10:4-7).

13:16 If the Lord allowed Job to appear before him, it would be proof of his uprightness.

13:17-19 Job was convinced of his innocence (9:15).

13:20-21 Job contended that if he were not oppressed (hence the appeal, remove your hand from me) or terrified (the typical reaction to being in God’s presence; see Ex 20:18-19; Is 6:1), he might be able to state his case convincingly.

13:22 Job applied the call-answer motif, expressing a desire for help or communion (Ps 102:1-2) in his situation (Jb 9:16; 12:4; 14:15). He longed for renewed fellowship with God either at God’s invitation or Job’s petition.

13:23 Job remained confident that he was suffering innocently (9:21; 10:7).

13:24 Idioms involving God’s face can indicate the Lord’s approval or blessing (Nm 6:24-26; 2Ch 30:9) or his disapproval and judgment (Ps 143:7; Jr 21:10).

13:25 In striking similes Job reminded God of his frailty as a human. Dry straw is often used metaphorically for something easily scattered (Ps 83:13; Is 40:23-24; Jr 13:24) or consumed in God’s fiery judgment (Nah 1:10).

13:26 Job believed that he should not still be paying for the petty iniquities of his youth.

13:27 Job complained about God’s constant scrutiny and mistreatment of him (7:19-20; 9:17-18; 10:4-5). Like an enemy prisoner, he was shackled and guarded, leaving him without freedom of movement.

13:28 Job again reminded God of the brevity of life (7:6; 9:25; 10:20). As rotting food, decaying wood, or a moth-eaten garment becomes useless and worthy only of being destroyed, so Job was wasting away toward his inevitable end. Although the similes are phrased with regard to a person in general, Job clearly intended an application to his specific situation.