Job 12:12 kjv
With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
Job 12:12 nkjv
Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding.
Job 12:12 niv
Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?
Job 12:12 esv
Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.
Job 12:12 nlt
Wisdom belongs to the aged,
and understanding to the old.
Job 12 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 25:8 | Abraham breathed his last... an old man, full of days... | Patriarch dying at great age. |
| Deut 4:6 | Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom... to the nations... | Observing laws brings wisdom/understanding. |
| Deut 32:7 | Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, he will show you; your elders, they will tell you. | Seek wisdom from elders. |
| 1 Kings 12:6 | King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon... | Rehoboam consults experienced counselors. |
| Prov 1:7 | The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. | Ultimate source of wisdom is the Lord. |
| Prov 2:6 | For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. | Wisdom comes directly from God. |
| Prov 3:13 | Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding. | Blessedness associated with wisdom. |
| Prov 4:7 | The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom... | Imperative to acquire wisdom. |
| Prov 9:10 | The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. | Deepens Prov 1:7, links wisdom to God. |
| Prov 16:31 | Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. | Age can symbolize honor and righteousness. |
| Ps 90:12 | So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. | Shortness of life implies need for wisdom. |
| Ps 119:99-100 | I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation... I understand more than the elders... | God's word grants wisdom, surpassing age. |
| Isa 28:29 | This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. | God is the ultimate source of wisdom. |
| Job 15:10 | With us are gray-haired men and aged men, older than your father. | Eliphaz boasting about his own age. |
| Job 32:7 | I said, 'Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.' | Elihu reiterates the cultural expectation. |
| Job 32:8 | But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding. | God's spirit, not age, is true source. |
| Job 32:9 | It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand justice. | Directly refutes that age automatically brings wisdom. |
| Job 34:10 | Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding... | Elihu's address to men of understanding. |
| Rom 11:33 | Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! | Acknowledges God's supreme wisdom. |
| 1 Cor 1:25 | For the foolishness of God is wiser than men's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than men's strength. | Contrasts divine wisdom with human wisdom. |
| 1 Cor 1:26-27 | For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many powerful... but God chose what is foolish in the world... | God often uses those not considered wise by the world. |
| Jas 1:5 | If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God... | Source of wisdom is God, through prayer. |
| Jas 3:17 | But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable... | Description of true, divine wisdom. |
Job 12 verses
Job 12 12 Meaning
Job 12:12 articulates a widely accepted ancient proverb or principle: that wisdom and understanding naturally accrue with age and long life. It posits that experience gained over many years is a primary conduit for insight and sound judgment.
Job 12 12 Context
Job 12:12 is uttered by Job in response to his friends' pronouncements, specifically following Eliphaz's speech in Job 15, though this whole section of Job (chapters 12-14) is Job's direct answer to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. His friends have repeatedly asserted their own wisdom and traditional theological positions to explain Job's suffering, implying that their age and experience give them a privileged insight into God's ways. In verses 1-3 of chapter 12, Job sarcastically states, "No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you!" His friends' presumption that wisdom exclusively belongs to them and those who align with their views prompts Job's discourse on true wisdom. Verse 12 might initially sound like an affirmation of their implied premise—that age grants wisdom—but within the broader context of Job 12, especially Job 12:13 ("With Him are wisdom and might; He has counsel and understanding"), Job uses this general proverb ironically to set up his immediate rebuttal. He points out the discrepancy: if wisdom truly comes with age, why do his old, "wise" friends utterly fail to grasp his unique suffering or the nuances of divine justice? He pivots directly from this common wisdom to the absolute wisdom of God, indicating that true understanding is found in God alone, not merely in the longevity of human life. The cultural background of the ancient Near East generally held elders in high esteem, valuing their counsel born of long experience. Job acknowledges this widely accepted belief, only to subtly undermine its sufficiency when applied to profound theological mysteries or to declare God's counsel.
Job 12 12 Word analysis
- With the ancient (עַתִּיק - `attîq): This Hebrew word primarily means "ancient," "old," or "aged." It refers not just to chronological age but implies accumulated experience, long-standing existence, or tradition. In the context, it highlights those who have lived a long life and thus, by cultural assumption, possess deep knowledge. Job uses this term, reflecting the cultural value placed on the wisdom of elders.
- is wisdom (חָכְמָה - `ḥokhmāh): This significant Hebrew term encompasses skill, knowledge, practical ability, and discerning judgment. It implies the ability to apply knowledge rightly and prudently in life. Biblically,
ḥokhmāhis often linked to discerning God's ways and living in accordance with His will, not merely intellectual accumulation. - and in length of days (אֹרֶךְ יָמִים - `’ōrek yāmîm): Literally "length of days." This phrase denotes longevity or a prolonged lifespan. It refers to the many years lived, which would naturally provide ample opportunities for observation, learning, and experience. It is a direct parallel to "the ancient."
- understanding (תְּבוּנָה - `tĕbûnāh): This term signifies discernment, insight, comprehension, and intelligence. It refers to the ability to distinguish, differentiate, and draw conclusions from knowledge.
Tĕbûnāhoften accompaniesḥokhmāh, representing the capacity to grasp profound truths and act prudently. - Words-Group Analysis:
- "With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding": This parallel structure employs a synonymous parallelism common in Hebrew poetry. Both clauses express the same core idea: that age and a long life are generally associated with the acquisition of wisdom and discernment. This reflects a prevailing belief system of the era, where longevity often implied divine favor and accrued wisdom from a vast personal history. Job introduces this conventional truth to create a platform for his subsequent argument regarding the true, ultimate source of wisdom being God alone, transcending mere human age or experience. His use of this well-known proverb is likely tinged with irony, as he is speaking to "ancient" men who he believes lack true understanding of his situation.
Job 12 12 Bonus section
The seemingly straightforward statement of Job 12:12 sets the stage for a critical theological argument in the Book of Job: the distinction between human-derived wisdom and divine wisdom. While cultural tradition honors the former, the book ultimately demonstrates its inadequacy in the face of suffering and the mysteries of God's ways. Elihu, a younger man, later challenges both Job and his friends, directly addressing the limitations of wisdom based solely on age in Job 32:7-9, stating that it is the "spirit in man," the "inspiration of the Almighty," that truly gives understanding, not necessarily age itself. This further underscores the point that while age can provide experience, it does not guarantee genuine wisdom or perfect understanding of God's inscrutable nature.
Job 12 12 Commentary
Job 12:12 articulates a widely held, culturally respectable proverb about the link between age and wisdom. It reflects the intuitive belief that extensive life experience naturally accumulates knowledge, discernment, and sound judgment. This idea resonated deeply in ancient Near Eastern societies, where elders were venerated as sources of wise counsel. However, within the specific context of the Book of Job, Job's pronouncement carries an underlying ironic or even sarcastic tone. He directs this conventional wisdom towards his friends, who, being older men, constantly invoke their traditional knowledge and claim superior insight into divine justice. Yet, despite their presumed age-derived wisdom, they utterly fail to understand Job's suffering or God's complex dealings. Thus, this verse serves not as Job's definitive statement on wisdom but as a setup, immediately countered by Job 12:13, where he asserts that true wisdom, might, counsel, and understanding reside exclusively "with Him," referring to God. The verse highlights the limitation of human wisdom, even that acquired through long life, when compared to the infinite, unfathomable wisdom of God.