Job 13:6
Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
Original Language Analysis
שִׁמְעוּ
Hear
H8085
שִׁמְעוּ
Hear
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
1 of 6
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
נָ֥א
H4994
נָ֥א
Strong's:
H4994
Word #:
2 of 6
'i pray', 'now', or 'then'; added mostly to verbs (in the imperative or future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction
תוֹכַחְתִּ֑י
now my reasoning
H8433
תוֹכַחְתִּ֑י
now my reasoning
Strong's:
H8433
Word #:
3 of 6
chastisement; figuratively (by words) correction, refutation, proof (even in defense)
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern legal proceedings often involved public oral argumentation before elders or judges. Job's appeal to 'hear' reflects this context—witnesses and advocates presented cases verbally, with rhetorical skill determining outcomes. Job's friends claimed to be God's defense attorneys; Job now takes the offensive.
Questions for Reflection
- When have you felt compelled to present your 'case' to God rather than passively accepting suffering?
- How does Job's legal language challenge the notion that questioning God is always faithless?
- What does it mean to bring honest 'pleadings' before God while still maintaining reverence?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Hear now my reasoning (שִׁמְעוּ־נָא תוֹכַחְתִּי, shim'u-na tokhakhti)—Job shifts from defending himself to prosecuting his case. The Hebrew tokhakhti (my reasoning/argument/reproof) is legal terminology, presenting Job as plaintiff in a lawsuit against God's apparent injustice.
The pleadings of my lips (רִיבוֹת שְׂפָתַי, rivot sefatay)—Rivot means 'legal disputes' or 'contentions,' the same root used in Isaiah 1:18 ('come let us reason together'). Job demands his comforters—and ultimately God—listen to his case with the seriousness of a courtroom. This verse inaugurates the lawsuit motif that dominates chapters 13-14, anticipating Job's boldest statements of faith (13:15) and his prophetic vision of a divine advocate (19:25-27).