and ¹  he contends with God on behalf of man as a man ²  pleads ³  for his friend.

biblegateway Job 16:21

"O that a man might plead with God As a man with his neighbor!

I wish that someone might arbitrate between a man and God just as a man pleads for his friend.

But my witness will plead for a human in front of God. The Son of Man will plead for his friend!

biblegateway Job 16:21

on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.

that he would argue the case of a man with God, as a son of man does with his neighbor.

bibleoremus Job 16:21

that he would maintain the right of a mortal with God, as one does for a neighbor.

If only there were one to arbitrate between man and God, as between a man and his neighbour!

biblegateway Job 16:21

Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his neighbor!

O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man [pleadeth] for his neighbour!

biblegateway Job 16:21

and ¹  he contends with God on behalf of man as a man ²  pleads ³  for his friend.

¹ tn E. Dhorme (Job, 240) alters this slightly to read “Would that” or “Ah! if only.”

² tn This is the simple translation of the expression “son of man” in Job. But some commentators wish to change the word בֵּן (ben, “son”) to בֵּין (ben, “between”). It would then be “[as] between a man and [for] his friend.” Even though a few mss have this reading, it is to be rejected. But see J. Barr, “Some Notes on ‘ben’ in Classical Hebrew,” JSS 23 (1978): 1-22.

³ tn The verb is supplied from the parallel clause.