Job 9:19
If strength be demanded, he is most strong: if equity of judgment, no man dare bear witness for me.
Open Job 9:19 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Si fortitudo quæritur, robustissimus est ; si æquitas judicii, nemo audet pro me testimonium dicere.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἰσχύει, κρατεῖ· τίς οὖν κρίματι αὐτοῦ ἀντιστήσεται;
- Hebrew (WLC)
- אִם לְכֹ֣חַ אַמִּ֣יץ הִנֵּ֑ה וְאִם לְ֝מִשְׁפָּ֗ט מִ֣י יוֹעִידֵֽנִי
Haydock's commentary
Equity. Hebrew, "if judgment, who will appoint me a time," (Haydock) or "set me before him," and undertake my defence? Who will dare to sit as judge between us?
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Augustine A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants, Job Was Not Without Sin
But let us see what Job has to say of himself, after God’s great testimony of his righteousness. “I know of a truth,” he says, “that it is so: for how shall a mortal man be just before the Lord? For if He should enter into judgment with him, he would not be able to obey Him.” And shortly afterwards he asks: “Who shall resist His judgment? Even if I should seem righteous, my mouth will speak profanely.” And again, further on, he says: “I know He will not leave me unpunished. But since I am ungodly, why have I not died? If I should wash myself with snow, and be purged with clean hands, thou hadst thoroughly stained me with filth.” In another of his discourses he says: “For Thou hast written evil things against me, and hast compassed me with the sins of my youth; and Thou hast placed my foot in the stocks. …