King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like [a] drunken [man].
Complete Jewish Bible:
They grope in unlit darkness; he makes them stagger like drunks.
Berean Standard Bible:
They grope in the darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunkards.
American Standard Version:
They grope in the dark without light; And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
They grope{H4959} in the dark{H2822} without light{H216}, and he maketh them to stagger{H8582} like a drunken{H7910} man.
Cross-References (KJV):
Job 5:14
- They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.
Psalms 107:27
- They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
Isaiah 19:14
- The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken [man] staggereth in his vomit.
Isaiah 24:20
- The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
1 John 2:11
- But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
Acts 13:11
- And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Genesis 19:11
- And they smote the men that [were] at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
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Commentary for Job 12:25
The verse Job 12:25 is part of the Book of Job, which is one of the Wisdom Books in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Job deals with the themes of human suffering and the nature of divine justice. It tells the story of Job, a righteous man who is beset by a series of catastrophes, including the loss of his wealth, children, and health, as a test of his faith.
In the context of Job 12, Job is responding to the arguments of his friends, who have come to comfort him but end up accusing him of wrongdoing, suggesting that his suffering must be a punishment for sin. Job, in turn, defends his innocence and challenges the simplistic theology of his friends. In verse 25, Job speaks metaphorically about the blindness of those who think they understand God's ways but are actually misguided. The verse paints a picture of individuals fumbling in darkness, lacking true insight and understanding, and as a result, their judgments and actions are unsteady and erratic, likened to the stumbling of a drunken man.
Historically, the Book of Job is thought to have been written during or after the Babylonian Exile (6th century BCE) and reflects the broader ancient Near Eastern wisdom tradition, which often grappled with the question of why the righteous suffer. Job 12:25 captures the essence of Job's lament over the lack of true wisdom among those who presume to speak for God or to understand the mysteries of divine providence. It underscores the human limitations in fully comprehending the ways of the divine and cautions against presuming to know the mind of God, a theme that resonates deeply within the broader context of the Book of Job and the wisdom literature of the Bible.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H4959
There are 8 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מָשַׁשׁ
Transliteration: mâshash
Pronunciation: maw-shash'
Description: a primitive root; to feel of; by implication, to grope; feel, grope, search. - Strong's Number: H2822
There are 77 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֹשֶׁךְ
Transliteration: chôshek
Pronunciation: kho-shek'
Description: from חָשַׁךְ; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness; dark(-ness), night, obscurity. - Strong's Number: H216
There are 191 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אוֹר
Transliteration: ʼôwr
Pronunciation: ore
Description: from אוֹר; illumination or (concrete) luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.); bright, clear, [phrase] day, light (-ning), morning, sun. - Strong's Number: H8582
There are 45 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: תָּעָה
Transliteration: tâʻâh
Pronunciation: taw-aw'
Description: a primitive root; to vacillate, i.e. reel or stray (literally or figuratively); also causative of both; (cause to) go astray, deceive, dissemble, (cause to, make to) err, pant, seduce, (make to) stagger, (cause to) wander, be out of the way. - Strong's Number: H7910
There are 13 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שִׁכּוֹר
Transliteration: shikkôwr
Pronunciation: shik-kore'
Description: or שִׁכֹּר; from שָׁכַר; intoxicated, as astate or a habit; drunk(-ard, -en, -en man).