Who is the umpire Job wishes for?

In this chapter Job says there is none: "There is no umpire between us, that might lay his hand on us both" (9:33). He names no one. He says what an umpire would do: stand "between us" and "lay his hand on us both" (9:33). The verse before gives what stands in Job's way: "he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him" (9:32). Later in the book Job says, "Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven. He who vouches for me is on high" (16:19), "that he would maintain the right of a man with God" (16:21). And, "But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. In the end, he will stand upon the earth" (19:25). Christians read these verses in more than one way. Chapter 19's honest question sets out the main readings, each resting on its verses, without choosing between them. Here, notice only what 9:33 says: Job wanted an umpire "between us", and in this chapter he says there is none.