Job 12:15

KJV

Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

KJV (with Strong's)

Behold, he withholdeth {H6113} the waters {H4325}, and they dry up {H3001}: also he sendeth them out {H7971}, and they overturn {H2015} the earth {H776}.

Complete Jewish Bible

When he holds back water, there is drought; when he sends it out, it overruns the land.

Berean Standard Bible

If He holds back the waters, they dry up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.

American Standard Version

Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Job 12:15 serves as a powerful testament from Job to the unassailable and comprehensive sovereignty of God over all creation, particularly the elemental forces of nature. Amidst his profound suffering and the theological debates with his friends, Job emphatically declares that God alone possesses the power to both restrain life-giving waters, causing desolation, and unleash them in destructive torrents that reshape the earth. This verse underscores God's absolute control, challenging human attempts to fully comprehend or limit divine wisdom and action.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Job 12:15 is embedded within Job's eloquent and impassioned response to the third cycle of debate with his friends, specifically following Zophar's harsh and accusatory speech in Job 11. Far from defending his personal innocence, Job shifts the focus to God's incomprehensible power and wisdom, which he argues far transcend human understanding or simplistic theological frameworks. He challenges his friends' rigid retribution theology, which posits a direct correlation between suffering and sin, by asserting God's absolute freedom and dominion over all things. This verse, therefore, functions as a foundational premise for Job's broader argument that divine actions are not always predictable or explainable by human logic, setting the stage for the climactic divine speeches in [Job 38](/job/38 "Job 38 - God's Response to Job").
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In the ancient Near East, control over natural elements, especially water, was often attributed to various deities, and the stability of the cosmos was frequently seen as dependent on propitiating these gods. For the Israelites, however, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was uniquely sovereign over all creation. Water, in particular, was understood as both a source of life (rain, rivers, springs) and a force of immense destruction (floods, tsunamis). The land of Canaan, being semi-arid, made rainfall a direct sign of divine favor or judgment, as seen in the covenant blessings and curses. Job's declaration in this verse would have resonated deeply with this cultural understanding, emphasizing that Yahweh, not any pagan deity or impersonal force, holds ultimate, unchallenged sway over the very elements that determined life and death.
* **Key Themes:** The central theme illuminated by Job 12:15 is the **Divine Sovereignty and Omnipotence** of God. It powerfully illustrates God's complete and active control over nature, presenting Him not merely as a distant Creator but as the immediate orchestrator of all natural phenomena, encompassing both life-giving provision and destructive forces. This leads to the theme of **Control Over Water**, highlighting water's dual nature as essential for life yet capable of immense destruction. God's ability to "withhold the waters" (leading to drought and desolation, as warned in [Deuteronomy 28:23-24](/deuteronomy/28-23 "Deuteronomy 28:23-24 - Consequences of Disobedience")) or "send them out" (causing devastating floods that "overturn the earth," reminiscent of the [Great Flood in Genesis 7](/genesis/7 "Genesis 7 - The Great Flood")) underscores humanity's absolute dependence on God for basic survival. Finally, Job's emphasis on God's power serves to underscore the **Incomprehensible Wisdom** of God; His ways are higher than human ways, and His wisdom is beyond full human comprehension, defying simplistic categorization or explanation.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **withholdeth (Hebrew, _ʿāṣar_):** This verb (עָצַר) signifies a deliberate act of restraining, shutting up, or holding back. It implies an active, purposeful divine decision to prevent something from happening or flowing, rather than a passive absence. In this context, it speaks to God's intentional control over the availability of water, leading to drought and desiccation.
* **sendeth them out (Hebrew, _šālaḥ_):** The verb (שָׁלַח) means to send forth, let go, or unleash. It describes a purposeful release or dispatch of something, often with force or for a specific outcome. Here, it vividly portrays God's deliberate act of unleashing waters, implying a powerful, perhaps overwhelming, flow that brings about significant change or destruction.
* **overturn the earth (Hebrew, _hāphak_):** This powerful verb (הָפַךְ) means to overthrow, overturn, or turn upside down. It connotes a complete reversal, disruption, or destruction, often implying a radical transformation of a state or place. It paints a picture of cataclysmic upheaval, where the very landscape is reshaped or undone by the force of the unleashed waters, echoing divine judgments throughout biblical history.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up:"** Job begins with an exclamation ("Behold!") to draw attention to a fundamental truth about God's power. The first half of the verse describes God's ability to actively restrain or shut off the sources of water. This divine withholding directly leads to the drying up of the land, rivers, and springs, resulting in drought, desolation, and famine. This demonstrates God's power to bring about scarcity and judgment, affecting all life dependent on water.
* **"also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth."** In stark contrast, the second half reveals God's equally potent ability to unleash waters. This "sending out" implies a deliberate and forceful release, leading to overwhelming floods. The consequence, "they overturn the earth," speaks to a cataclysmic event where the very landscape is reshaped, disrupted, or destroyed by the force of the deluge, illustrating God's power to bring about widespread devastation and radical change.

#### Literary Devices
Job 12:15 effectively employs several literary devices to convey its profound message. The most prominent is **Antithetical Parallelism**, where two contrasting ideas are presented in successive clauses to highlight a single truth. Here, God's power to "withhold the waters" (leading to dryness) is juxtaposed with His power to "send them out" (leading to overturning the earth), emphasizing the comprehensive and dual nature of His control over water. **Imagery** is also vividly used, painting pictures of parched earth and raging floods, appealing to the reader's senses and creating a powerful mental landscape of divine action. The use of strong verbs like "withholdeth," "sendeth out," and "overturn" contributes to the dynamic and forceful **Diction**, reinforcing the absolute and active nature of God's sovereignty. Furthermore, the verse functions as a form of **Merism**, where two opposite extremes (drought and flood) are mentioned to represent the totality of God's control over all hydrological phenomena, from one extreme to the other.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 12:15 profoundly articulates the biblical doctrine of divine sovereignty, asserting that God's power is not merely theoretical but actively engaged in the governance of the natural world. This understanding challenges any notion of a deistic God who creates and then withdraws, instead presenting a God who is intimately involved in the ebb and flow of creation, capable of both sustaining and judging through the very elements He commands. This divine control over water, a fundamental necessity for life, underscores humanity's absolute dependence on God's provision and His ultimate authority over life and death. It also serves as a theological foundation for understanding that natural events, whether beneficial or catastrophic, are ultimately under God's permissive or direct will, even if their specific purposes remain inscrutable to human understanding.

* [Psalm 104:13](/psalms/104-13 "Psalm 104:13 - God Waters the Mountains")
* [Amos 4:7-8](/amos/4-7 "Amos 4:7-8 - God Withholds Rain as Judgment")
* [Revelation 16:12](/revelation/16-12 "Revelation 16:12 - The Drying of the Euphrates River")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 12:15 invites us to cultivate a profound sense of awe and humility before the Creator. In a world that often seeks to explain away or control natural phenomena through purely scientific or humanistic lenses, this verse serves as a powerful reminder that ultimate control rests with God alone. It challenges us to move beyond simplistic explanations for suffering or prosperity, urging us to trust in God's sovereign wisdom even when His ways are mysterious or seemingly harsh. For believers, this means finding peace and security not in predictable circumstances, but in the unchangeable character of the One who holds the oceans in the hollow of His hand. It calls us to absolute dependence, recognizing that every drop of rain and every period of drought are ultimately orchestrated by divine will, prompting us to worship and seek His face in all seasons of life.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does Job's declaration of God's power over water challenge your own assumptions about control and predictability in life?**
* **In what ways does recognizing God's absolute sovereignty over nature deepen your worship and trust in Him, especially during times of natural disaster or personal adversity?**
* **How might a clearer understanding of God's control over the elements impact your prayers for provision, protection, or spiritual revival?**

### FAQ
**Why does Job emphasize God's power over nature, especially water, in this context?**

Answer: Job emphasizes God's power over nature, particularly water, to counter the simplistic theology of his friends, who attribute his suffering directly to sin. By highlighting God's absolute and often unpredictable control over life-sustaining and life-destroying forces, Job argues that divine wisdom and actions are far beyond human comprehension or moralistic formulas. He demonstrates that God's sovereignty extends to both withholding water, causing drought, and unleashing it, causing floods, proving that God's ways are inscrutable and not always aligned with human expectations of cause and effect. This serves to affirm God's majestic freedom and supremacy, as later revealed in [God's speeches from the whirlwind](/job/38 "Job 38 - God's Response to Job"), where He challenges Job's understanding of creation and divine governance. Job's point is that God's power is not limited by human logic or deservingness, but operates according to His own perfect, albeit mysterious, will.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Job 12:15 speaks of God the Father's sovereign control over creation, its profound truth finds ultimate fulfillment and revelation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The New Testament consistently portrays Jesus as the embodiment of divine power over nature, demonstrating the very authority Job describes. He calmed raging storms with a word, commanding the wind and waves to obey Him, prompting His disciples to marvel, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" ([Matthew 8:27](/matthew/8-27 "Matthew 8:27 - Jesus Calms the Storm")). Jesus walked on water ([Matthew 14:25](/matthew/14-25 "Matthew 14:25 - Jesus Walks on Water")), turned water into wine ([John 2:9](/john/2-9 "John 2:9 - Jesus Turns Water into Wine")), and used water as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit and eternal life, offering "living water" to those who thirst ([John 4:10](/john/4-10 "John 4:10 - Jesus Offers Living Water")). His dominion over the elements, mirroring the Father's power in Job, signifies His divine identity as Creator and Sustainer. Ultimately, Christ's death and resurrection represent the ultimate "overturning" of the earth's spiritual landscape, conquering sin and death, and ushering in a new creation ([2 Corinthians 5:17](/2_corinthians/5-17 "2 Corinthians 5:17 - New Creation in Christ")). Thus, the sovereign power over water and earth declared by Job is fully manifested and redemptively applied through the Lord Jesus Christ, who holds all things together by the word of His power ([Colossians 1:17](/colossians/1-17 "Colossians 1:17 - Christ Sustains All Things")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

1 Kings 17:1

¶ And Elijah the Tishbite, [who was] of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, [As] the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

Job 12:10

In whose hand [is] the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

Luke 4:25

But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

James 5:17

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

James 5:18

And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Genesis 6:17

And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life, from under heaven; [and] every thing that [is] in the earth shall die.

Revelation 11:6

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.