Job 12:15 kjv
Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
Job 12:15 nkjv
If He withholds the waters, they dry up; If He sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
Job 12:15 niv
If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.
Job 12:15 esv
If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.
Job 12:15 nlt
If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert.
If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.
Job 12 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 7:17-18 | The floodwaters increased... and lifted the ark... | God's destructive power through water (Flood). |
| Gen 8:2-3 | The fountains of the deep... were stopped; the rain from heaven was restrained. | God's power to cease abundant water. |
| Exod 14:21-22 | Moses stretched out his hand... and the Lord drove the sea back... | God's miraculous control over large bodies of water. |
| Deut 11:16-17 | The anger of the Lord will be kindled... He will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain... | God withholding water as a consequence of disobedience. |
| 1 Kgs 8:35-36 | When heaven is shut up and there is no rain... | God's withholding of rain as judgment or for repentance. |
| Ps 29:3-4 | The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders... | God's majestic power over all waters. |
| Ps 33:7 | He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. | God's comprehensive control over vast waters. |
| Ps 65:9 | You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it... | God sends rain for blessing and fertility. |
| Ps 104:5-9 | He set the earth on its foundations... at Your rebuke the waters fled... | God's creative act and boundary setting for waters. |
| Ps 107:33-35 | He turns rivers into a wilderness, springs of water into thirsty ground... | God's power to alter the land's fertility through water. |
| Isa 5:6 | I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed... | God's intentional withholding of rain leading to desolation. |
| Isa 40:12 | Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand...? | God's immeasurable power over all water. |
| Isa 43:16 | Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters... | God's ability to manipulate waters for His purposes. |
| Jer 5:22 | Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me, who placed the sand as the bound for the sea...? | God's authority in establishing limits for waters. |
| Jer 14:4 | The ground is cracked because there is no rain on the land... | Direct consequence of God's withheld rain. |
| Joel 1:17-20 | The seed shrivels... all the streams of water are dried up. | Drought and famine explicitly from God's hand. |
| Amos 4:7-8 | I withheld the rain... and I would send rain on one city... | God's sovereign control and specificity in sending/withholding rain. |
| Nah 1:3-4 | The Lord is slow to anger... He has His way in the whirlwind and the storm... He rebukes the sea and makes it dry... | God's ultimate power over all natural phenomena, including water. |
| Matt 8:26-27 | Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea... The disciples marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" | Jesus' (God incarnate) authority over natural elements. |
| Col 1:16-17 | All things were created through Him and for Him... He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. | God's active sustainment of all creation. |
| Heb 1:3 | He upholds the universe by the word of His power... | God's sustaining power over the cosmos, including water. |
| Rev 16:12 | The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up... | God's eschatological control over water for judgment. |
Job 12 verses
Job 12 15 Meaning
Job 12:15 declares God's absolute and unquestionable sovereignty over creation, particularly His complete control over the vital element of water. The verse highlights His power to either restrain the waters, causing drought and desolation, or release them, leading to overwhelming floods and destruction. This demonstrates God's unique authority over both scarcity and abundance, blessing and judgment, showing that all natural phenomena are under His direct, deliberate command, far beyond human manipulation or understanding.
Job 12 15 Context
Job 12:15 is part of Job’s second discourse in response to his friends (Job 12-14). In this section, Job argues forcefully that wisdom and power belong solely to God, not to humans, and that God's ways are often incomprehensible. He critiques his friends' simplistic understanding of divine justice, which wrongly ties suffering directly to sin. Job uses various examples from nature and human affairs (like Job 12:13-25) to illustrate God's unchallengeable sovereignty. Verse 15 specifically points to God’s absolute control over life-sustaining and destructive forces in nature, serving as a powerful illustration of God's immense power that transcends human predictability and wisdom. It reinforces Job’s point that while his suffering is a mystery to him, God remains sovereign over all circumstances, whether good or perceived as bad.
Job 12 15 Word analysis
- Behold (הֵן, hen): An interjection designed to draw immediate attention and emphasis to the profound statement that follows. It signifies, "Look!" or "Indeed!", signaling the importance and certainty of the truth Job is declaring.
- He withholds (יַעְצֹר, ya'tsor): From the Hebrew root עָצַר (asar), meaning to shut up, restrain, hold back, or retain. This verb implies a deliberate and active decision on God's part to prevent or keep something back. It is a divine action of limitation and control.
- the waters (מַּיִם, mayim): The Hebrew word for water. In an arid land, water was paramount for survival, agriculture, and life itself. It symbolizes both essential provision and potential danger.
- and they dry up (וְיִבָּשׁוּ, ve'yibashu): From the root יָבֵשׁ (yavesh), meaning to be dry, wither, or to become parched. This describes the direct and natural consequence of God's decision to withhold water, leading to barrenness and desolation.
- also He sends them out (וִישַׁלַּח, vi'shallach): From the root שָׁלַח (shalach), meaning to send forth, let go, release, or unleash. This verb highlights God's contrasting active decision to dispatch or release the waters, demonstrating His complete control over both absence and presence.
- and they overwhelm (וְיַהַפְּכוּ, ve'yahapchu): From the root הָפַךְ (hapach), meaning to overturn, overthrow, devastate, or transform entirely. This powerful word illustrates the destructive capacity of water when unleashed by God, causing radical upheaval and destruction across the land.
- the earth (אָרֶץ, aretz): Refers to the ground, land, or even the whole planet. This term indicates the scope of God’s dominion; the entire terrestrial realm is subject to the direct impact of His sovereign actions concerning water.
- He withholds the waters, and they dry up: This phrase portrays God's power over drought and scarcity. It describes His deliberate action of restricting the life-giving element, resulting in parched lands and famine, illustrating His capacity to bring about hardship and judgment.
- also He sends them out, and they overwhelm the earth: In sharp contrast, this phrase emphasizes God's power over floods and superabundance, specifically destructive floods. It highlights His ability to release the very same element to devastating effect, causing widespread destruction and proving His total dominion over nature’s most formidable forces.
- The juxtaposition of "withholds... dry up" and "sends out... overwhelm" underscores God’s complete, dualistic control over the essential element of water. He alone orchestrates both its absence and presence, its life-giving and destructive capacities, demonstrating His absolute and comprehensive sovereignty over all creation and its consequences for humanity.
Job 12 15 Bonus section
This verse stands as a powerful counter-argument to polytheistic beliefs common in the Ancient Near East, where different gods were often attributed control over rain, storms, and fertility. Job attributes all these phenomena directly and exclusively to the one true God, Yahweh. It highlights that natural calamities and blessings are not random or dictated by lesser spirits, but are instruments in the hand of the Almighty. The truth expressed here, that God is in complete control of water (a primary source of life or death), makes His incomprehensible actions, particularly Job’s suffering, all the more impactful, underscoring that human existence and all its circumstances are ultimately sustained or disciplined by His hand. This control is not limited by time, location, or human deserving.
Job 12 15 Commentary
Job 12:15 serves as a profound declaration of God's absolute and unchallengeable sovereignty over the natural world, particularly concerning the essential element of water. In response to his friends' limited theology, Job asserts that God's power is not just vast, but also unpredictable by human standards, encompassing both the act of withholding (leading to drought) and unleashing (leading to flood). This verse demolishes any notion that natural forces operate independently or that divine action is strictly governed by human merit. It testifies to a God who holds all things in His hands, dispensing life-sustaining provision or executing devastating judgment as He wills. It's a statement of awe before a God whose might dictates every drop of rain and every dried riverbed, compelling Job to recognize a divine wisdom that transcends human understanding or expectation.