TRV
See on the biblical-era map
Study This Verse
Commentary on Job 12 verses 12–25
This is a noble discourse of Job's concerning the wisdom, power, and sovereignty of God, in ordering and disposing of all the affairs of the children of men, according to the counsel of his own will, which none dares gainsay or can resist. Take both him and them out of the controversy in which they were so warmly engaged, and they all spoke admirably well; but, in that, we sometimes scarcely know what to make of them. It were well if wise and good men, that differ in their apprehensions about minor things, would see it to be for their honour and comfort, and the edification of others, to dwell most upon those great things in which they are agreed. On this subject Job speaks like himself. Here are no passionate complaints, no peevish reflections, but every thing masculine and great.
I. He asserts the unsearchable wisdom and irresistible power of God. It is allowed that among men there is wisdom and understanding, Job 12:12. But it is to be found only with some few, with the ancient, and those who are blessed with length of days, who get it by long experience and constant experience; and, when they have got the wisdom, they have lost their strength and are unable to execute the results of their wisdom. But now with God there are both wisdom and strength, wisdom to design the best and strength to accomplish what is designed. He does not get counsel or understanding, as we do, by observation, but he has it essentially and eternally in himself, Job 12:13. What is the wisdom of ancient men compared with the wisdom of the ancient of days! It is but little that we know, and less that we can do; but God can do every thing, and no thought can be withheld from him. Happy are those who have this God for their God, for they have infinite wisdom and strength engaged for them. Foolish and fruitless are all the attempts of men against him (Job 12:14): He breaketh down, and it cannot be built again. Note, There is no contending with the divine providence, nor breaking the measures of it. As he had said before (Job 9:12), He takes away, and who can hinder him? so he says again. What God says cannot be gainsaid, nor what he does undone. There is no rebuilding what God will have to lie in ruins; witness the tower of Babel, which the undertakers could not go on with, and the desolations of Sodom and Gomorrah, which could never be repaired. See Isa 25:2; Eze 26:14; Rev 18:21. There is no releasing those whom God has condemned to a perpetual imprisonment; if he shut up a man by sickness, reduce him to straits, and embarrass him in his affairs, there can be no opening. He shuts up in the grave, and none can break open those sealed doors - shuts up in hell, in chains of darkness, and none can pass that great gulf fixed.
II. He gives an instance, for the proof of this doctrine in nature, Job 12:15. God has the command of the waters, binds them as in a garment (Pro 30:4), holds them in the hollow of his hand (Isa 40:12); and he can punish the children of men either by the defect or by the excess of them. As men break the laws of virtue by extremes on each hand, both defects and excesses, while virtue is in the mean, so God corrects them by extremes, and denies them the mercy which is in the mean. 1. Great droughts are sometimes great judgments: He withholds the waters, and they dry up; if the heaven be as brass, the earth is as iron; if the rain be denied, fountains dry up and their streams are wanted, fields are parched and their fruits are wanted, Amo 4:7. 2. Great wet is sometimes a great judgment. He raises the waters, and overturns the earth, the productions of it, the buildings upon it. A sweeping rain is said to leave no food, Pro 28:3. See how many ways God has of contending with a sinful people and taking from them abused, forfeited, mercies; and how utterly unable we are to contend with him. If we might invert the order, this verse would fitly refer to Noah's flood, that ever memorable instance of the divine power. God then, in wrath, sent the waters out, and they overturned the earth; but in mercy he withheld them, shut the windows of heaven and the fountains of the great deep, and then, in a little time, they dried up.
III. He gives many instances of it in God's powerful management of the children of men, crossing their purposes and serving his own by them and upon them, overruling all their counsels, overpowering all their attempts, and overcoming all their oppositions. What changes does God make with men! what turns does he give them! how easily, how surprisingly!
1.In general (Job 12:16): With him are strength and reason (so some translate it), strength and consistency with himself: it is an elegant word in the original. With him are the very quintessence and extract of wisdom. With him are power and all that is; so some read it. He is what he is of himself, and by him and in him all things subsist. Having this strength and wisdom, he knows how to make use, not only of those who are wise and good, who willingly and designedly serve him, but even of those who are foolish and bad, who, one would think, could be made no way serviceable to the designs of his providence: The deceived and the deceiver are his; the simplest men that are deceived are not below his notice; the subtlest men that deceive cannot with all their subtlety escape his cognizance. The world is full of deceit; the one half of mankind cheats the other, and God suffers it to be so, and from both will at last bring glory to himself. The deceivers make tools of the deceived, but the great God makes tools of them both, wherewith he works, and none can hinder him. He has wisdom and might enough to manage all the fools and knaves in the world, and knows how to serve his own purposes by them, notwithstanding the weakness of the one and the wickedness of the other. When Jacob by a fraud got the blessing the design of God's grace was served; when Ahab was drawn by a false prophecy into an expedition that was his ruin the design of God's justice was served; and in both the deceived and the deceiver were at his disposal. See Eze 14:9. God would not suffer the sin of the deceiver, nor the misery of the deceived, if he knew not how to set bounds to both and bring glory to himself out of both. Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent thus reigns; and it is well he does, for otherwise there is so little wisdom and so little honesty in the world that it would all have been in confusion and ruin long ago.
2.He next descends to the particular instances of the wisdom and power of God in the revolutions of states and kingdoms; for thence he fetches his proofs, rather than from the like operations of Providence concerning private persons and families, because the more high and public the station is in which men are placed the more the changes that befal them are taken notice of, and consequently the more illustriously does Providence shine forth in them. And it is easy to argue, If God can thus turn and toss the great ones of the earth, like a ball in a large place (as the prophet speaks, Isa 22:18), much more the little ones; and with him to whom states and kingdoms must submit it is surely the greatest madness for us to contend. Some think that Job here refers to the extirpation of those powerful nations, the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Emim, and the Horites (mentioned Gen 14:5, Gen 14:6; Deu 2:10, Deu 2:20), in which perhaps it was particularly noticed how strangely they were infatuated and enfeebled: if so, it is designed to show that whenever the like is done in the affairs of nations it is God that does it, and we must therein observe his sovereign dominion, even over those that think themselves most powerful, politic, and absolute. Compare this with that of Eliphaz, Job 5:12, etc. Let us gather up the particular changes here specified, which God makes upon persons, either for the destruction of nations and the planting of others in their room or for the turning out of a particular government and ministry and the elevation of another in its room, which may be a blessing to the kingdom; witness the glorious Revolution in our own land twenty years ago, in which we saw as happy an exposition as ever was given of this discourse of Job's. (1.) Those that were wise are sometimes strangely infatuated, and in this the hand of God must be acknowledged (Job 12:17): He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, as trophies of his victory over them, spoiled of all the honour and wealth they have got by their policy, nay, spoiled of the wisdom itself for which they have been celebrated and the success they promised themselves in their projects. His counsel stands, while all their devices are brought to nought and their designs baffled, and so they are spoiled both of the satisfaction and of the reputation of their wisdom. He maketh the judges fools. By a work on their minds he deprives them of their qualifications for business, and so they become really fools; and by his disposal of their affairs he makes the issue and event of their projects to be quite contrary to what they themselves intended, and so he makes them look like fools. The counsel of Ahithophel, one in whom this scripture was remarkably fulfilled, became foolishness, and he, according to his name, the brother of a fool. See Isa 19:13, The princes of Zoan have become fools; they have seduced Egypt, even those that are the stay of the tribes thereof. Let not the wise man therefore glory in his wisdom, nor the ablest counsellors and judges be proud of their station, but humbly depend upon God for the continuance of their abilities. Even the aged, who seem to hold their wisdom by prescription, and think they have got it by their own industry and therefore have an indefeasible title to it, may yet be deprived of it, and often are, by the infirmities of age, which make them twice children: He taketh away the understanding of the aged, Job 12:20. The aged, who were most depended on for advice, fail those that depended on them. We read of an old and yet foolish king, Ecc 4:13. (2.) Those that were high and in authority are strangely brought down, impoverished, and enslaved, and it is God that humbles them (Job 12:18): He looseth the bond of kings, and taketh from them the power wherewith they ruled their subjects, perhaps enslaved them and ruled them with rigour; he strips them of all the ensigns of their honour and authority, and all the supports of their tyranny, unbuckles their belts, so that the sword drops from their side, and then no marvel if the crown quickly drops from their head, on which immediately follows the girding of their loins with a girdle, a badge of servitude, for servants went with their loins girt. Thus he leads great princes away spoiled of all their power and wealth, and that in which they pleased and prided themselves, Job 12:19. Note, Kings are not exempt from God's jurisdiction. To us they are gods, but men to him, and subject to more than the common changes of human life. (3.) Those that were strong are strangely weakened, and it is God that weakens them (Job 12:21) and overthrows the mighty. Job 12:19. Strong bodies are weakened by age and sickness; powerful armies moulder and come to nothing, and their strength will not secure them from a fatal overthrow. No force can stand before Omnipotence, no, not that of Goliath. (4.) Those that were famed for eloquence, and entrusted with public business, are strangely silenced, and have nothing to say (Job 12:20): He removeth away the speech of the trusty, so that they cannot speak as they intended and as they used to do, with freedom and clearness, but blunder, and falter, and make nothing of it. Or they cannot speak what they intended, but the contrary, as Balaam, who blessed those whom he was called to curse. Let not the orator therefore be proud of his rhetoric, nor use it to any bad purposes, lest God take it away, who made man's mouth. (5.) Those that were honoured and admired strangely fall into disgrace (Job 12:21): He poureth contempt upon princes. He leaves them to themselves to do mean things, or alters the opinions of men concerning them. If princes themselves dishonour God and despise him, if they offer indignities to the people of God and trample upon them, they shall be lightly esteemed, and God will pour contempt upon them. See Psa 107:40. Commonly none more abject in themselves, nor more abused by others when they are down, than those who were haughty and insolent when they were in power. (6.) That which was secret, and lay hidden, is strangely brought to light and laid open (Job 12:22): He discovers deep things out of darkness. Plots closely laid are discovered and defeated; wickedness closely committed and artfully concealed is discovered, and the guilty are brought to condign punishment - secret treasons (Ecc 10:20), secret murders, secret whoredoms. The cabinet-councils of princes are before God's eye, Kg2 6:11. (7.) Kingdoms have their ebbings and flowings, their waxings and wanings; and both are from God (Job 12:23): He sometimes increases their numbers, and enlarges their bounds, so that they make a figure among the nations and become formidable; but after a while, by some undiscerned cause perhaps, they are destroyed and straitened, made few and poor, cut short and many of them cut off, and so they are rendered despicable among their neighbours, and those that were the head become the tail of the nations. See Psa 107:38, Psa 107:39. (8.) Those that were bold and courageous, and made nothing of dangers, are strangely cowed and dispirited; and this also is the Lord's doing (Job 12:24): He taketh away the heart cf the chief of the people, that were their leaders and commanders, and were most famed for their martial fire and great achievements; when any thing is to be done they are heartless, and ready to flee at the shaking of a leaf. Psa 76:5. (9.) Those that were driving on their projects with full speed are strangely bewildered and at a loss; they know not where they are nor what they do, are unsteady in their counsels and uncertain in their motions, off and on, this way and that way, wandering like men in a desert (Job 12:24), groping like men in the dark, and staggering like men in drink, Job 12:25. Isa 59:10. Note, God can soon nonplus the deepest politicians and bring the greatest wits to their wits' end, to show that wherein they deal proudly he is above them.
Thus are the revolutions of kingdoms wonderfully brought about by an overruling Providence. Heaven and earth are shaken, but the Lord sits King for ever, and with him we look for a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
30. For ‘the heart of the chief of the earth was changed,’ when the chief priests and elders of the people in Judaea set themselves to withstand Him by their counsels, Whom they beforehand proclaimed, that He was to come. And when they strove to put out His Name by persecuting Him, being deceived by their own wickedness they vainly essayed to ‘wander where there is no way,’ because it was impossible that a ‘way’ could be open to their cruelty directed against the Creator of all things. They saw the miracles, they were made to fear by His power [c], but refusing to believe, they still sought signs, whilst they said, what sign shewest Thou then, that we may see and believe Thee? [John 6, 30] Therefore it is well said, They grope in the dark without light? For he that hesitates in the midst of so many manifest miracles, as it were ‘gropes in the dark,’ in that he sees not what he is touching. But every man that ‘staggers,’ is borne now hither, now thither: And because they were shown at one time to believe, as when they said, If this man were not of God He could do nothing [John 9, 33], and at another time denied that He was from God, as when they said contemning Him, Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? and His brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? [Matt. 13, 55. 56.] it is rightly added, He maketh, them to stagger like a drunken man. For they saw both that He raised the dead, and yet that He was a mortal being. Who would not believe that He was God, Whom they beheld raise the dead to life? But on the other hand, when they saw that He was mortal, they scorned to believe that He was immortal God, and so herein, viz. that Almighty God manifested Himself such to their eyes as to be both capable of exhibiting divine signs and of undergoing human sufferings, He ‘made them to stagger like drunken men,’ that their pride, which chose rather to spurn the mystery of the Incarnation, than to follow it, should at one and the same time lift itself up against His human nature, and wonder at the power of His Divine nature shining within. And because all these were made present to the eyes of blessed Job by the spirit of prophecy.
Continue studying Job 12:24 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Job 12:24 is a profound assertion by Job concerning God's absolute and often inscrutable sovereignty over all earthly powers. In this verse, Job declares that God possesses the power to strip away the wisdom, discernment, and resolve of even the most influential leaders on earth, causing them to lose their way and wander aimlessly in a state of utter confusion and helplessness. It powerfully underscores the ultimate futility of human wisdom and strength when confronted by divine will, demonstrating that all human authority is entirely subject to God's supreme and unchallengeable control.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 12:24 employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message of divine sovereignty and the futility of human wisdom apart from God. The most prominent is Metaphor, specifically in the phrase "causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way." The physical wilderness, a place of desolation, danger, and lostness, serves as a powerful metaphor for the intellectual, strategic, and existential confusion and helplessness that befalls leaders when God removes their wisdom and guidance. The "no way" further amplifies this sense of utter disorientation and futility, emphasizing a complete lack of a discernible path or solution. There is also an element of Hyperbole in "the chief of the people of the earth," which is used to emphasize the vast and comprehensive scope of God's power, extending even to the very apex of human authority and influence, regardless of their perceived wisdom or might. The verse also implicitly uses Contrast, juxtaposing the perceived wisdom, strength, and control of human leaders with the absolute, unchallengeable wisdom and power of God, highlighting the stark difference between finite human capacity and infinite divine omnipotence. Finally, the act of God "taking away the heart" is a form of Anthropomorphism, attributing a human-like action (taking something away) to God to vividly describe His sovereign and active control over human faculties, destiny, and the course of history.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 12:24 offers a profound theological statement on God's absolute and comprehensive sovereignty, which extends even to the hearts and minds of the most powerful human leaders. It underscores the biblical truth that all earthly authority is derivative and ultimately subject to the divine will. This verse challenges any notion of human autonomy or self-sufficiency, reminding us that God can, at His discretion, humble the proud and bring their most carefully laid plans to naught. It speaks to a God who is actively involved in history, orchestrating the rise and fall of nations and leaders, not always according to human logic or perceived justice, but always according to His own wise and sovereign purposes. This truth provides both a potent warning against human arrogance and a deep comfort for believers, knowing that even in times of political turmoil, societal confusion, or seemingly insurmountable challenges, God remains firmly on His throne, directing all things toward His ultimate and perfect ends. His control ensures that no human power can ultimately thwart His divine plan.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 12:24 serves as a timeless and sobering reminder of the precariousness of human power and the absolute necessity of divine wisdom. For us today, it calls for profound humility, urging us to recognize that true wisdom and effective leadership do not originate from human intellect, strategic prowess, or accumulated experience alone, but are ultimately gifts from God, sustained by His will. It challenges us to critically evaluate where we place our trust – in the plans and pronouncements of human leaders, in our own abilities and self-sufficiency, or in the sovereign God who holds all things in His hand. In a world often characterized by political instability, economic uncertainty, societal confusion, and the rise and fall of powerful figures, this verse offers immense comfort: God remains in control. He can redirect, disorient, or even dismantle the plans of those who oppose His will or rely solely on their own strength. It also serves as a potent warning against pride in our own lives, reminding us that God can humble anyone, regardless of their position, influence, or perceived wisdom. Therefore, our primary pursuit should be to seek God's wisdom above all, align ourselves with His purposes, and trust in His unfailing sovereignty, knowing that only He can provide a clear path and true direction in life's many wildernesses.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does this verse imply God actively makes leaders foolish, or simply withdraws His wisdom?
Answer: The phrasing "He taketh away the heart" (H5493, çûwr) and "causeth them to wander" (H8582, tâʻâh) strongly suggests an active, deliberate divine intervention rather than a passive withdrawal. While God certainly can withdraw His favor or wisdom, the language here points to a sovereign act of judgment or a demonstration of His absolute power. God is not merely allowing them to become foolish or disoriented; He is actively orchestrating their disorientation and the removal of their capacity for sound judgment. This aligns with other biblical accounts where God directly influences the hearts and minds of rulers, such as His hardening of Pharaoh's heart in Exodus 4:21 or His turning of the king's heart "whithersoever he will" in Proverbs 21:1. It underscores that even the internal faculties of human leaders are subject to God's ultimate and unchallengeable control.
How does this verse relate to the idea of God appointing leaders?
Answer: Job 12:24 does not contradict the biblical truth that God establishes authorities and appoints leaders for various purposes, as affirmed in passages like Romans 13:1. Rather, it complements this truth by demonstrating the extent of God's sovereignty over those He appoints. While God may appoint leaders, He also retains the absolute right and power to remove them, humble them, or cause them to fail when they become proud, act contrary to His will, or fulfill a specific part of His divine plan. His appointment is not an abdication of His ongoing, active control. This verse highlights that even divinely appointed leaders remain utterly dependent on God for their wisdom, direction, and continued authority. God's ultimate dominion transcends all human office and power, ensuring that His purposes will ultimately prevail regardless of human schemes.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 12:24 finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus, who stands in stark contrast to the disoriented "chiefs of the people of the earth" described by Job. While earthly leaders are prone to having their "heart" taken away, leading them to wander in confusion and futility, Jesus is the very embodiment of divine wisdom and the ultimate "Chief" or "Head" of all creation, in whom "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). The religious and political leaders of Jesus' day, the "chiefs" of Israel and Rome, indeed had their hearts taken away by their own pride, adherence to human traditions, and political ambitions. They were unable to recognize the true Messiah, wandering in a spiritual wilderness "where there was no way" to salvation apart from Him. Their "wisdom" led them to reject and crucify the Lord of Glory, thinking they were asserting their power and control, yet their actions unwittingly fulfilled God's sovereign and eternal plan to bring salvation to the world through the cross (Acts 4:27-28). Thus, God turned the apparent foolishness of human leaders and their rejection of Christ into the profound wisdom of the cross, which is "the power of God and the wisdom of God" for those who believe (1 Corinthians 1:23-25). For those who follow Him, Jesus does not cause them to wander in a wilderness of confusion, but rather declares Himself to be "the way, the truth, and the life," providing the only true path to God and eternal life (John 14:6). In Christ, believers receive true wisdom and guidance, navigating life's complexities with divine clarity where human wisdom utterly fails.