
Job 12
Job 12 offers a response by Job to the accusations of his friends. Job speaks with irony and emphasizes his understanding of life, pointing out that wisdom is not exclusive to his friends. He explains how the wicked often prosper and how God's wisdom is evident in all of creation. Job underscores the fact that God is sovereign and controls the fate of all, whether wise or foolish, strong or weak.
Job 12:1-5 (NKJV)
1 Then Job answered and said:
2 “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you!
3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these?
4 I am one mocked by his friends, who called on God, and He answered him, the just and blameless who is ridiculed.
5 A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease; it is made ready for those whose feet slip.
Job responds sarcastically to his friends, accusing them of acting as if they have all the wisdom and implying that their knowledge will die with them. He asserts that he, too, has understanding and is not inferior to them. Despite his righteousness and past favor with God, Job finds himself mocked and ridiculed by his friends in his suffering. He compares his situation to a lamp that is despised by those who are comfortable but becomes important when one is stumbling.
Job 12:6-10 (NKJV)
6 The tents of robbers prosper, and those who provoke God are secure—in what God provides by His hand.
7 “But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you.
9 Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this,
10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?
Job contrasts the security and prosperity of wicked people with his suffering. He points out that even the animals and the earth itself understand that everything comes from God's hand. He emphasizes that God’s sovereignty is visible in all creation, and it is He who controls the life and breath of every living thing. Job seems to be saying that his friends' wisdom is nothing special since even nature knows what they claim to understand.
Job 12:11-15 (NKJV)
11 Does not the ear test words and the mouth taste its food?
12 Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding.
13 “With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding.
14 If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt; if He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
15 If He withholds the waters, they dry up; if He sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
Job highlights that just as people can test words and food, they should be able to discern deeper truths. He then acknowledges that God is the ultimate source of wisdom and strength. No one can undo what God does; if He tears something down, it cannot be rebuilt, and if He imprisons, there is no escape. He controls the natural world—drying up waters or flooding the earth at His will—showing the breadth of His power.
Job 12:16-20 (NKJV)
16 With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17 He leads counselors away plundered, and makes fools of the judges.
18 He loosens the bonds of kings, and binds their waist with a belt.
19 He leads princes away plundered, and overthrows the mighty.
20 He deprives the trusted ones of speech, and takes away the discernment of the elders.
Job continues to elaborate on God’s control over every person, including those who hold power or influence. He asserts that God can deceive both the deceiver and the deceived. Kings, princes, judges, and elders are all under God’s authority, and He can reduce them to helplessness, stripping them of their wisdom and speech. No position of power is immune to God's judgment.
Job 12:21-25 (NKJV)
21 He pours contempt on princes, and disarms the mighty.
22 He uncovers deep things out of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light.
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.
24 He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.
25 They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
Job concludes his response by emphasizing that God’s power extends over the rise and fall of nations. He can exalt or destroy entire peoples at His will. God reveals hidden things and brings clarity where there is confusion. Those in positions of leadership may lose their discernment, wandering in confusion like men lost in a desert or groping in darkness. Job’s point is that no one, not even the greatest rulers, can escape God’s sovereign control.