Job 12 14

Job 12:14 kjv

Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.

Job 12:14 nkjv

If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt; If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.

Job 12:14 niv

What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; those he imprisons cannot be released.

Job 12:14 esv

If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.

Job 12:14 nlt

What he destroys cannot be rebuilt.
When he puts someone in prison, there is no escape.

Job 12 verses

Job 12 14 Meaning

Job 12:14 profoundly declares God's absolute and unchallengeable power. When the Almighty decides to dismantle something, whether it be a nation, a structure, a fortune, or a person's standing, no one can rebuild or restore what He has brought down. Similarly, if He determines to confine or imprison a person, whether physically, circumstantially, or spiritually, there is no possibility of escape or release unless He Himself opens the way. The verse underscores the finality and irresistibility of God's decrees and actions in both destruction and confinement.

Job 12 14 Context

Job 12 is part of Job’s extended reply to his friends, specifically challenging Zophar’s assertions from the previous chapter. Throughout this speech (chapters 12-14), Job demonstrates that he possesses wisdom regarding God’s omnipotence and sovereignty, perhaps even more than his friends. While his friends assume Job's suffering is direct punishment for specific sins and that God only brings down the wicked, Job asserts a more profound truth: God's power is absolute and operates over all things, both righteous and unrighteous, and no one can fully comprehend His ways or question His decrees. In verse 14, Job uses concrete imagery to illustrate that when God acts, His actions are final and cannot be reversed by human power, reinforcing the mysterious and unchallengeable nature of divine sovereignty that often operates beyond human understanding of justice or cause-and-effect. This perspective prepares the reader for God’s own speeches in chapters 38-41.

Job 12 14 Word analysis

• Behold (הֵן - hen): An interjection used to draw attention, emphasize, or call to mind a fact. It signifies the profound truth and undeniable reality of what follows. It urges the listener to consider carefully the weighty statement about to be made.
• He breaks down (יַהֲרוֹס - yaharós): From the Hebrew verb הָרַס (haras), meaning "to tear down, demolish, overthrow, utterly destroy." This implies a comprehensive act of destruction, not merely damage. It suggests an active, deliberate, and powerful agent performing a decisive dismantling.
• and it cannot be rebuilt (וְלֹא יִבָּנֶה - v'lo yibbanéh): The negative particle "לא" (lo) meaning "not," combined with "יִבָּנֶה" (yibbanéh), the Niphal (passive) imperfect form of בָּנָה (banah), meaning "to build, rebuild." This phrase emphasizes the irreversibility and finality of God's destructive acts. What God demolishes, no human power or ingenuity can re-establish.
• He imprisons (יַסְגִּיר - yasgír): From the verb סָגַר (sagar), meaning "to shut, close, lock up, imprison." This denotes an act of confinement, creating a state of inescapable entrapment. The Piel (intensive/causative) form emphasizes the active and thorough nature of God's act in confining someone.
• a person (עַל-אִישׁ - al-'ish): Literally "upon a man" or "over a man." The preposition "עַל" (al) here indicates power exerted over someone, leading to their confinement. It refers to a common human being, highlighting that no one, regardless of status, is exempt from God's absolute authority.
• and there is no release (וְלֹא יִפָּתַח - v'lo yippatach): The negative "לא" (lo) with "יִפָּתַח" (yippatach), the Niphal (passive) imperfect form of פָּתַח (patach), meaning "to open, set free." This signifies that once God has confined, no other authority or power can open the way to freedom. The captivity is absolute and without human remedy.

Word-groups Analysis:

• "He breaks down, and it cannot be rebuilt": This pairing demonstrates divine omnipotence over creation and human endeavor. God's act of demolition is conclusive, rendering human efforts to undo it utterly futile. It speaks to God's authority over nations, structures, reputations, or any establishment.
• "He imprisons a person, and there is no release": This phrase illustrates God's sovereign control over individuals' fates and circumstances. Once God places a person in a state of confinement (whether literal prison, oppressive circumstances, or spiritual bondage), escape is impossible without divine intervention. It highlights the absolute inability of human beings to free themselves from God's decreed situations.

Job 12 14 Bonus section

The theological depth of Job 12:14 lies not only in affirming God's power but also in its implication for the boundaries of human power and understanding. It subtly corrects any human presumption that we can ultimately control our destiny or circumvent divine decrees. It sets a boundary for all created authority, indicating that only God's decisions are irreversible without His own counter-action. This absolute sovereignty is the very quality that makes God both awe-inspiring and potentially terrifying, especially for those who question His justice while enduring hardship. Job acknowledges this very mystery: the all-powerful God who can act justly and mercifully is also the God who can tear down and confine, for reasons beyond human grasp. This forms a core element of the dialogue's tension: accepting God's omnipotence even when His justice is perceived as absent or confounding.

Job 12 14 Commentary

Job 12:14 serves as a powerful declaration of God's supreme authority and irresistible might, central to Job's theological perspective. He posits that God's actions are ultimate; what He breaks, no one can mend, and whom He binds, no one can release. This verse goes beyond a simple statement of power, emphasizing the finality and unchallenged nature of God’s will. It’s a profound acknowledgment that while God’s ways may be incomprehensible, His power is absolute and extends over all things—be it the rise and fall of nations, the prosperity or ruin of individuals, or life and death itself. For Job, amidst his suffering, this realization simultaneously provides a glimmer of hope (if God can bind, He can also release) and an expression of profound mystery and perhaps frustration (since he currently experiences this divine binding). The verse teaches that true wisdom recognizes this unassailable sovereignty of God, urging humanity to humbly submit to His inscrutable plans.

• Practical Example: A nation may exert all its might to resist decline, but if God purposes its fall, its efforts are in vain. (e.g., historical empires like Babylon or Assyria).
• Practical Example: An individual might feel trapped by overwhelming circumstances, desperately seeking escape, yet find no opening, until perhaps God intervenes directly or providentially.