Job — Chapter 12
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1Then Job answered:
2“Truly then you are the people with whom wisdom itself will die!
3But I also have a mind; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?
4I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.
5The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
6The tents of robbers are safe, and those who provoke God are secure—those who carry their god in their hands.
7But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.
8Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you.
9Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
10The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.
11Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes its food?
12Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.
13Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His.
14What He tears down cannot be rebuilt; the man He imprisons cannot be released.
15If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.
16True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17He leads counselors away barefoot and makes fools of judges.
18He loosens the bonds placed by kings and fastens a belt around their waists.
19He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows the established.
20He deprives the trusted of speech and takes away the discernment of elders.
21He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.
22He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into light.
23He makes nations great and destroys them; He enlarges nations, then disperses them.
24He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
25They grope in the darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunkards.
1And Job answered and said,
2No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
3But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
4I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.
5He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.
6The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
7But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
8Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
10In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
11Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?
12With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
13With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
14Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
15Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
16With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.
17He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.
18He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.
19He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
20He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.
21He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.
22He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
23He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
24He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
25They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
1Then Job answered and said,
2No doubt but ye are the people, And wisdom shall die with you.
3But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: Yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
4I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor, I who called upon God, and he answered: The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock.
5In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.
6The tents of robbers prosper, And they that provoke God are secure; Into whose hand God bringeth [abundantly].
7But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee:
8Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this,
10In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
11Doth not the ear try words, Even as the palate tasteth its food?
12With aged men is wisdom, And in length of days understanding.
13With [God] is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding.
14Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
15Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
16With him is strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17He leadeth counsellors away stripped, And judges maketh he fools.
18He looseth the bond of kings, And he bindeth their loins with a girdle.
19He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty.
20He removeth the speech of the trusty, And taketh away the understanding of the elders.
21He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the belt of the strong.
22He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, And bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
23He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive.
24He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
25They grope in the dark without light; And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
1Then Job answered:
2“Without a doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.
3I also have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?
4I am a laughingstock to my friends, I, who called on God and whom he answered— a righteous and blameless man is a laughingstock!
5For calamity, there is derision (according to the ideas of the fortunate)— a fate for those whose feet slip.
6But the tents of robbers are peaceful, and those who provoke God are confident— who carry their god in their hands.
7“But now, ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds of the sky and they will tell you.
8Or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea declare to you.
9Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all the human race.
11Does not the ear test words, as the tongue tastes food?
12Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?
13With God are wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.
14If he tears down, it cannot be rebuilt; if he imprisons a person, there is no escape.
15If he holds back the waters, then they dry up; if he releases them, they destroy the land.
16With him are strength and prudence; both the one who goes astray and the one who misleads are his.
17He leads counselors away stripped and makes judges into fools.
18He loosens the bonds of kings and binds a loincloth around their waist.
19He leads priests away stripped and overthrows the potentates.
20He deprives the trusted advisers of speech and takes away the discernment of elders.
21He pours contempt on noblemen and disarms the powerful.
22He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light.
23He makes nations great and destroys them; he extends the boundaries of nations and disperses them.
24He deprives the leaders of the earth of their understanding; he makes them wander in a trackless desert waste.
25They grope about in darkness without light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.
1Then Job answered,
2“No doubt, but you are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
3But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Yes, who doesn’t know such things as these?
4I am like one who is a joke to his neighbor, I, who called on God, and he answered. The just, the blameless man is a joke.
5In the thought of him who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune. It is ready for them whose foot slips.
6The tents of robbers prosper. Those who provoke God are secure, who carry their God in their hands.
7“But ask the animals, now, and they shall teach you; the birds of the sky, and they shall tell you.
8Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach you. The fish of the sea shall declare to you.
9Who doesn’t know that in all these, Yahweh’s hand has done this,
10in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?
11Doesn’t the ear try words, even as the palate tastes its food?
12With aged men is wisdom, in length of days understanding.
13“With God is wisdom and might. He has counsel and understanding.
14Behold, he breaks down, and it can’t be built again. He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.
15Behold, he withholds the waters, and they dry up. Again, he sends them out, and they overturn the earth.
16With him is strength and wisdom. The deceived and the deceiver are his.
17He leads counselors away stripped. He makes judges fools.
18He loosens the bond of kings. He binds their waist with a belt.
19He leads priests away stripped, and overthrows the mighty.
20He removes the speech of those who are trusted, and takes away the understanding of the elders.
21He pours contempt on princes, and loosens the belt of the strong.
22He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings out to light the shadow of death.
23He increases the nations, and he destroys them. He enlarges the nations, and he leads them captive.
24He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, and causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
25They grope in the dark without light. He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
Summary
Job answers Zophar with biting sarcasm, telling his friends that wisdom will not die with them and that he understands these things just as well as they do, even though he — a righteous man whom God once answered — has become a laughingstock (vv. 1-6). He points out that even the animals, birds, fish, and earth itself know that the hand of the Lord controls all creation and holds the life and breath of every living thing (vv. 7-10). Job insists that true wisdom and power belong to God alone, who tears down what cannot be rebuilt, controls the waters, and strips kings, priests, counselors, and judges of their strength and understanding (vv. 11-21). He describes God as the one who makes nations rise and fall, deprives their leaders of understanding, and leaves them groping in darkness like drunkards with no light (vv. 22-25).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik observes that Job's hymn to sovereignty (vv.13-25) is actually a more exalted description of God's power than anything the friends have offered. Job is not denying God's sovereignty — he is affirming it with terrifying thoroughness. The friends see God's sovereignty as predictable and moral; Job sees it as absolute and sometimes inscrutable. Guzik notes the irony: Job is charged with questioning God, but his description of God's power exceeds his accusers' theology.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the speech from the whirlwind, and why it answers Job the way it does.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Job -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Refusing a False Verdict (v.3) — Job insists he is every bit the intellectual and spiritual equal of the friends who are condemning him without evidence. When someone claims spiritual authority to judge you unfairly, do you test their words against truth or simply accept their verdict?
- Theology That Faces Reality (v.6) — Job points out the uncomfortable fact that the wicked often thrive while the righteous suffer, directly challenging his friends' simple cause-and-effect theology. Can your faith hold steady when what you see in the world doesn't match the tidy explanations you've been taught?
- Creation Itself Testifies (vv.7-9) — Job says even the animals and the earth itself know that God's hand is behind all things, so wisdom about His sovereignty isn't reserved for the specially educated. Where do you see God's hand in the ordinary world around you, and do you take time to notice it?
- Sovereignty Over Every Power (vv.13-19) — Job describes God removing wisdom from counselors, stripping judges of authority, and loosening the grip of kings, showing that no human power stands beyond God's reach. Do you trust God's authority over leaders and circumstances you cannot control?
- Purpose Inside the Chaos (vv.22-25) — Job describes God bringing hidden things to light and leaving leaders stumbling like drunken men, insisting that even confusion and upheaval fall under God's control. When your circumstances feel chaotic, can you still trust that God is sovereign over what you can't make sense of?