Job 23:5 (KJV)

Passage

I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.

Nearby Context

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

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

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

Job 23:6 Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.

Job 23:7 There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "words", "answer", and "understand". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "words" and "answer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "I would order my cause before him..." into verse 6's "Will he plead against me with his...", so "words" and "answer" 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 "words" and "answer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.