Job 23:4 (DBY)

Passage

I would order the cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments;

Nearby Context

Job 23:2 Even to-day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.

Job 23:3 Oh that I knew where I might find him, that I might come to his seat!

Job 23:4 I would order the cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments;

Job 23:5 I would know the words he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.

Job 23:6 Would he plead against me with [his] great power? Nay; but he would give heed unto me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "order", "cause", "before", "fill", "mouth", and "arguments". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "order" and "cause", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Oh that I knew where I might..." into verse 5's "I would know the words he would...", so "order" and "cause" belong inside that flow. In Job context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "order" and "cause" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.