Job 9:3 Meaning and Explanation
“If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →If God were to bring charges, no human could answer even one accusation in a thousand.
What Does Job 9:3 Mean?
Job imagines a lawsuit between man and God. The picture is of a courtroom where God questions and the mortal must reply. Job's verdict is swift: a person could not answer one in a thousand of God's questions. The disparity is total.
The honesty here is bracing. Job does not pretend he could hold his own before God's searching wisdom. None of us could. Yet this very helplessness is where the gospel meets us, for the One we cannot answer is also the One who pleads our cause. What no defendant can do for himself, God in mercy provides.
Job 9:3 in the Original Language
rib (רִיב), 'contend' -- to bring a legal dispute or lawsuit against another.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 9:3
What does Job 9:3 mean?
If God were to bring charges, no human could answer even one accusation in a thousand.