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Amplified Bible

Job 13:8

"Will you show partiality for Him [and be unjust to me so that you may gain favor with Him]? Will you contend and plead for God?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blasphemy;   Persecution;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Plead;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Respect of Persons;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 8;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Would you show partiality to himor argue the case in his defense?
Hebrew Names Version
Will you show partiality to him? Will you contend for God?
King James Version
Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?
English Standard Version
Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God?
New Century Version
You should not unfairly choose his side against mine; you should not argue the case for God.
New English Translation
Will you show him partiality? Will you argue the case for God?
New American Standard Bible
"Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?
World English Bible
Will you show partiality to him? Will you contend for God?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Will ye accept his person? or will ye contende for God?
Legacy Standard Bible
Will you show partiality for Him?Will you contend for God?
Berean Standard Bible
Would you show Him partiality or argue in His defense?
Contemporary English Version
and not telling the whole truth when you argue his case?
Complete Jewish Bible
Do you need to take his side and plead God's case for him?
Darby Translation
Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?
Easy-to-Read Version
Are you trying to defend God against me? You are not being fair. You are choosing God's side simply because he is God.
George Lamsa Translation
Will you respect his person? Will you contend with him?
Good News Translation
Are you trying to defend him? Are you going to argue his case in court?
Lexham English Bible
Will you show partiality for him? Or do you want to plead God's case?
Literal Translation
Will you lift up His face, or will you contend for God?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wil ye accepte ye personne of God, and intreate for him?
American Standard Version
Will ye show partiality to him? Will ye contend for God?
Bible in Basic English
Will you have respect for God's person in this cause, and put yourselves forward as his supporters?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Will ye show Him favour? Will ye contend for God?
King James Version (1611)
Will ye accept his person? Will yee contend for God?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wyll ye accept the person of him? or wyll ye contende for God?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Or will ye draw back? nay do, ye yourselves be judges.
English Revised Version
Will ye respect his person? will ye contend for God?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether ye taken his face, and enforsen to deme for God?
Update Bible Version
Will you show partiality to him? Will you contend for God?
Webster's Bible Translation
Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?
New King James Version
Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?
New Living Translation
Will you slant your testimony in his favor? Will you argue God's case for him?
New Life Bible
Will you show favor for Him? Will you argue for God?
New Revised Standard
Will you show partiality toward him, will you plead the case for God?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even, for him, would ye be partial? Or, for GOD, would ye so plead?
Douay-Rheims Bible
Do you accept this person, and do you endeavour to judge for God?
Revised Standard Version
Will you show partiality toward him, will you plead the case for God?
Young's Literal Translation
His face do ye accept, if for God ye strive?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?

Contextual Overview

1[Job continued:] "Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it. 2"What you know I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3"But I wish to speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God. 4"But you smear me with lies [you defame my character most untruthfully]; You are all worthless physicians and have no remedy to offer. 5"Oh, that you would be completely silent, And that silence would be your wisdom! 6"Please hear my argument And listen to the pleadings of my lips. 7"Will you speak what is unjust for God, And speak what is deceitful for Him? 8"Will you show partiality for Him [and be unjust to me so that you may gain favor with Him]? Will you contend and plead for God?9"Will it be well for you when He investigates you [and your tactics against me]? Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man? 10"He will surely reprimand you If you secretly show partiality.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Job 32:21, Job 34:19, Exodus 23:2, Exodus 23:3, Proverbs 24:23, Malachi 2:9, *marg.

Reciprocal: Genesis 27:24 - I am Job 22:8 - honourable Job 36:2 - I have yet to speak Proverbs 18:5 - not Galatians 6:7 - God

Cross-References

Genesis 13:2
Now Abram was extremely rich in livestock and in silver and in gold.
Genesis 13:3
He journeyed on from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
Genesis 13:6
Now the land was not able to support them [that is, sustain all their grazing and water needs] while they lived near one another, for their possessions were too great for them to stay together.
Genesis 13:7
And there was strife and quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were living in the land at that same time [making grazing of the livestock difficult].
Genesis 13:9
"Is not the entire land before you? Please separate [yourself] from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left."
Genesis 13:11
Then Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and he traveled east. So they separated from each other.
Genesis 13:14
The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had left him, "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are standing, northward and southward and eastward and westward;
Genesis 13:17
"Arise, walk (make a thorough reconnaissance) around in the land, through its length and its width, for I will give it to you."
Genesis 13:18
Then Abram broke camp and moved his tent, and came and settled by the [grove of the great] terebinths (oak trees) of Mamre [the Amorite], which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to [honor] the LORD.
Genesis 45:24
So he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, "See that you do not quarrel on the journey [about how to explain this to our father]."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Will ye accept his person?.... Accepting persons ought not to be done in judgment by earthly judges; which is done when they give a cause to one through favour and affection to his person, because rich, or their friend, and against another, because otherwise; and something like this Job intimates his friends did in the present case; they only considered what God was, holy, just, wise, and good in all he did, and so far they were right, and too much respect cannot be given him; but the fault was, that they only attended to this, and did not look into the cause of Job itself, but wholly neglected it, and gave it against him, he being poor, abject, and miserable, on the above consideration of the perfections of God; which looked like what is called among men acceptation, or respect of persons:

will ye contend for God? it is right to contend for God, for the being of God against atheists, for the perfections of God, his sovereignty, his omniscience, omnipresence, c. against those that deny them, for his truths and doctrines, word, worship, and ordinances, against the corrupters of them but then he and those are not to be contended for in a foolish and imprudent manner, or with a zeal, not according to knowledge, much less with an hypocritical one, as was Jehu's,

2 Kings 10:28; God needs no such advocates, he can plead his own cause, or make use of persons that can do it in a better manner, and to better purpose.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Will ye accept his person? - That is, will you be partial to him? The language is such as is used in relation to courts of justice, where a judge shows favor to one of the parties on account of birth, rank, wealth, or personal friendship. The idea here is, “will you, from partiality to God, maintain unjust principles, and defend positions which are really untenable?” There was a controversy between Job and God. Job maintained that he was punished too severely; that the divine dealings were unequal and disproportioned to his offences. His friends, he alleges, have not done justice to the arguments which he had urged, but had taken sides with God against him, no matter what he urged or what he said. So little disposed were they to do justice to him and to listen to his vindication, that no matter what he said, they set it all down to impatience, rebellion, and insubmission.

They assumed that he was wrong, and that God was wholly right in all flyings. Of this position that God was right, no one could reasonably complain, and in his sober reflections Job himself would not be disposed to object to it; but his complaint is, that though the considerations which he urged were of the greatest weight, they would not allow their force, simply because they were determined to vindicate God. Their position was, that God dealt with people strictly according to their character; and that no matter what they suffered, their sufferings were the exact measure of their ill desert. Against this position, they would hear nothing that Job could say; and they maintained it by every kind of argument which was at their command - whether sound or unsound, sophistical or solid. Job says that this was showing partiality for God, and he felt that he had a right to complain. We need never show “partiality” even for God. He can be vindicated by just and equal arguments; and we need never injure others while we vindicate him. Our arguments for him should indeed be reverent, and we should desire to vindicate his character and government; but the considerations which we urge need not be those of mere partiality and favor.

Will ye contend for God? - Language taken from a court of justice, and referring to an argument in favor of a party or cause. Job asks whether they would undertake to maintain the cause of God, and he may mean to intimate that they were wholly disqualified for such an undertaking. He not only reproves them for a lack of candor and impartiality, as in the previous expressions, but he means to say that they were unfitted in all respects to be the advocates of God. They did not understand the principles of his administration. Their views were narrow, their information limited, and their arguments either common-place or unsound. According to this interpretation, the emphasis will be on the word “ye” - “will YE contend for God?” The whole verse may mean, “God is not to be defended by mere partiality, or favor. Solid arguments only should be employed in his cause. Such you have not used, and you have shown yourselves to be entirely unfitted for this great argument.”

The practical inference which we should draw from this is, that our arguments in defense of the divine administration, should be solid and sound. They should not be mere declamation, or mere assertion. They should be such as will become the great theme, and such as will stand the test of any proper trial that can be applied to reasoning. There are arguments which will “vindicate all God’s ways to men;” and to search them out should be one of the great employments of our lives. If ministers of the gospel would always abide by these principles, they would often do much more than they do now to commend religion to the sober views of mankind. No people are under greater temptations to use weak or unsound arguments than they are. They feel it to be their duty at all hazards to defend the divine administration. They are in circumstances where their arguments will not be subjected to the searching process which an argument at the bar will be, where a keen and interested opponent is on the alert, and will certainly sift every argument which is urged.

Either by inability to explain the difficulties of the divine government, or by indolence in searching out arguments, or by presuming on the ignorance and dullness of their hearers, or by a pride which will not allow them to confess their ignorance on any subject, they are in danger of attempting to hide a difficulty which they cannot explain, or of using arguments and resorting to reasoning, which would be regarded as unsound or worthless any where else. A minister should always remember that sound reasoning is as necessary in religion as in other things, and that there are always some people who can detect a fallacy or see through sophistry. With what diligent study then should the ministers of the gospel prepare for their work! How careful should they be, as the advocates of God and his cause in a world opposed to him, to find out solid arguments, to meet with candor every objection, and to convince people by sound reasoning, that God is right! Their work is to convince, not to denounce; and if there is any office of unspeakable responsibility on earth, it is that of undertaking to be the advocates of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 13:8. Will ye accept his person? — Do you think to act by him as you would by a mortal; and, by telling lies in his favour, attempt to conciliate his esteem?


 
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