JOB 9:3 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Ἐὰν γὰρ βούληται κριθῆναι αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ ὑπακούσῃ αὐτῷ, ἵνα μὴ ἀντείπῃ πρὸς ἕνα λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐκ χιλίων.
(Ean gar boulaʸtai krithaʸnai autōi, ou maʸ hupakousaʸ autōi, hina maʸ anteipaʸ pros hena logon autou ek ⱪiliōn. )

BrTr For if he would enter into judgment with him, God would not hearken to him, so that he should answer to one of his charges of a thousand.

ULT If he desires to contend with him,
⇔ he will not answer him one from a thousand.

UST If someone wanted to argue with God about that,
⇔ God would ask him many questions
⇔ and that person would not be able to answer any of them!

BSB If one wished to contend with God,[fn]
⇔ he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.

OEB Should He choose to contend against him,
⇔ He could answer not one in a thousand.

WEBBE If he is pleased to contend with him,
⇔ he can’t answer him one time in a thousand.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET If someone wishes to contend with him,
⇔ he cannot answer him one time in a thousand.

LSV If he delights to strive with Him—He does not answer him one of a thousand.

FBV If you wanted to argue with God, God could ask a thousand questions that no-one could answer.

T4T If someone wanted to argue with God about that,
⇔ God could ask him 1,000 questions,
⇔ and that person would not be able to answer any of them!

LEB • he cannot answer him one time in a thousand.

BBE If a man was desiring to go to law with him, he would not be able to give him an answer to one out of a thousand questions.

Moff No Moff JOB book available

JPS If one should desire to contend with Him, he could not answer Him one of a thousand.

ASV If he be pleased to contend with him,
⇔ He cannot answer him one of a thousand.

DRA If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one for a thousand.

YLT If he delight to strive with Him — He doth not answer him one of a thousand.

Drby If he shall choose to strive with him, he cannot answer him one thing of a thousand.

RV If he be pleased to contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

Wbstr If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

KJB-1769 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

KJB-1611 If he will contend with him, he cannot answere him one of a thousand.
(If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.)

Bshps If he wil argue with hym, he can not aunswere hym one thing of a thousande.
(If he will argue with him, he cannot answer him one thing of a thousand.)

Gnva If I would dispute with him, hee could not answere him one thing of a thousand.
(If I would dispute with him, he could not answer him one thing of a thousand. )

Cvdl Yf he wil argue with him, he shall not be able to answere him vnto one amonge a thousande.
(If he will argue with him, he shall not be able to answer him unto one among a thousand.)

Wyc If he wole stryue with God, he may not answere to God oon for a thousynde.
(If he will strive with God, he may not answer to God one for a thousand.)

Luth Hat er Lust, mit ihm zu hadern, so kann er ihm auf tausend nicht eins antworten.
(Hat he Lust, with him to hadern, so kann he him on tausend not eins antworten.)

ClVg Si voluerit contendere cum eo, non poterit ei respondere unum pro mille.[fn]
(When/But_if voluerit contendere when/with eo, not/no poterit to_him respondere one for mille. )

9.3 Si voluerit contendere cum eo, Ibid. de suis meritis præsumendo, et gloriam suæ virtutis, non Deo, sed sibi arrogando. Non poterit ei respondere unum pro mille. Ibid. Id est non poterit se, etc., usque ad ne autem contendat, infirmum terreat visa ejus potentia.

9.3 When/But_if voluerit contendere when/with eo, Ibid. about to_his_own meritis præsumendo, and gloriam suæ of_virtue, not/no Deo, but sibi arrogando. Non poterit to_him respondere one for mille. Ibid. That it_is not/no poterit se, etc., until to not however contendat, weak terreat visa his potentia.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns

אִם־יַ֭חְפֹּץ לָ⁠רִ֣יב עִמּ֑⁠וֹ

if wished to,contend with=him/it

In this part of the verse, the pronoun he refers to “a man” and the pronoun him refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “If a person desires to contend with God”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

לָ⁠רִ֣יב עִמּ֑⁠וֹ

to,contend with=him/it

Job assumes that Bildad will understand that he is using the word contend to mean making a formal legal complaint against God. In this culture, people made such complaints to community leaders in public places such as the gate of a town. Each party would question the other in the presence of the leaders, who would then discuss the case and decide how to resolve it. Job is probably describing how he participated as a leader in such cases in 29:21–23. Your language may have an expression for this process that you could use in your translation. Alternate translation: “to take God to court” or “to file charges against God”

Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns

לֹֽא־יַ֝עֲנֶ֗⁠נּוּ

not answer,him

In this part of the verse, (1) the pronoun he could refer to a human being and the pronoun him could refer to God. This seems likely, since after describing God’s knowledge and power, Job asks in 9:14 how he could possibly answer God and in 9:32 he says that God is “not a man, as I am, that I could answer him.” Alternate translation: “a human will not answer God” (2) the pronoun he could refer to God and the pronoun him could refer to a human being. This is also a possibility, since Job protests in 30:20 that God does not answer him. Alternate translation: “God will not answer a human”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / declarative

לֹֽא־יַ֝עֲנֶ֗⁠נּוּ

not answer,him

If Job means that a human will not answer God, then he is using the future tense to describe what a person would be able to do. Your language may have its own way of expressing such a meaning. Alternate translation: “he could not answer him” or “he would not be able to answer him”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

אַחַ֥ת מִנִּי־אָֽלֶף

one(fs) in a_thousand

The expression not … one from a thousand (that is, not one time out of a thousand) is an overstatement for emphasis. It is unlikely that one party in a court case would ask the other party as many as a thousand questions. Job means that a person would not find a single way to answer God satisfactorily no matter how many questions God asked. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “no matter how many questions he asks”

Parallel JOB 9:3