Job 12:13-25

Job Speaks of the Power of God

13 "With Him are 1wisdom and 2might; To Him belong counsel and 3understanding.
14 "Behold, He 4tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He 5imprisons a man, and there can be no release.
15 "Behold, He 6restrains the waters, and they dry up; And He 7sends them out, and they inundate the earth.
16 "With Him are strength and sound wisdom, The 8misled and the misleader belong to Him.
17 "He makes 9counselors walk barefoot And makes fools of 10judges.
18 "He 11loosens the bond of kings And binds their loins with a girdle.
19 "He makes priests walk barefoot And overthrows 12the secure ones.
20 "He deprives the trusted ones of speech And 13takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 "He 14pours contempt on nobles And 15loosens the belt of the strong.
22 "He 16reveals mysteries from the darkness And brings the deep darkness into light.
23 "He 17makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
24 "He 18deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people And makes them wander in a pathless * waste.
25 "They 19grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them 20stagger like a drunken man.

Job 12:13-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 12

In this and the two following chapter Job makes answer to Zophar's discourse in the former; who having represented him as an ignorant man, he resents it, and begins his defence with a biting sarcasm on him and his friends, as being self-conceited, and having an high opinion of their own wisdom, as if none had any but themselves, Job 12:1,2; and puts in his claim for a share with them, as being not at all inferior to them, Job 12:3; and then refutes their notions, that it always goes well with good men, and ill with bad men; whereas the reverse is the truth, Job 12:4-6; and which they might learn from the brute creatures; or he sends them to them, to observe to them, that the best things they had knowledge of concerning God and his providence, and of his wisdom therein, were common notions that everyone had, and might be learned from beasts, birds, and fishes; particularly, that all things in the whole universe are made by God, and sustained by him, and are under his direction, and at his disposal, Job 12:7-10; and such things might as easily be searched, examined, and judged of, as sounds are tried by the ear, and food by the mouth, Job 12:11; and seeing it is usual among men, at least it may be expected that men in years should have a considerable share of wisdom and knowledge, it might be strongly inferred from thence, without any difficulty, that the most perfect and consummate wisdom was in God, Job 12:12,13; whence he passes on to discourse most admirably and excellently of the wisdom and power of God in the dispensations of his providence, in a variety of instances; which shows his knowledge of his perfections, ways, and works, was not inferior to that of his friends, Job 12:14-25.

Cross References 20

Footnotes 7

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