Job 12 16

Job 12:16 kjv

With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

Job 12:16 nkjv

With Him are strength and prudence. The deceived and the deceiver are His.

Job 12:16 niv

To him belong strength and insight; both deceived and deceiver are his.

Job 12:16 esv

With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his.

Job 12:16 nlt

Yes, strength and wisdom are his;
deceivers and deceived are both in his power.

Job 12 verses

Job 12 16 Meaning

Job 12:16 declares the profound sovereignty of God, asserting that with Him reside all strength and wisdom, and that both those who deceive and those who are deceived are entirely under His control and authority. It portrays God as the ultimate power behind all events, orchestrating or permitting even acts of human deceit and folly for His divine purposes, demonstrating His dominion over every aspect of existence, including moral and intellectual failures.

Job 12 16 Context

Job 12:16 is part of Job’s extended discourse (Job 12-14), where he is responding to Zophar’s rigid theological arguments that suffering is a direct consequence of sin. Job, experiencing immense, inexplicable suffering, strongly asserts God’s absolute sovereignty and incomprehensible power, even over what appears chaotic or unjust to human eyes. He challenges his friends’ limited understanding of God’s ways, emphasizing that God’s wisdom and strength are unfathomable and transcend human categories of justice or cause-and-effect. This verse specifically underlines that God's dominion is so vast that it includes both those who skillfully deceive and those who fall prey to such deception, indicating that even human evil and folly operate within the confines of God's overarching decree or permission. Historically and culturally, ancient Near Eastern beliefs often attributed suffering to direct divine punishment for specific transgressions. Job's words stand as a direct polemic against such simplistic interpretations, insisting on a more profound, mysterious, and total sovereignty of the Creator God over all aspects of creation, good or evil, wise or foolish, active or passive in deception.

Job 12 16 Word analysis

• With Him (‘imô): "with him," referring directly to God. It indicates association, but in this context, it signifies possession or inherence. It emphasizes that these attributes and states of being (strength, wisdom, the deceived, the deceiver) originate from God, are found in Him, or are subject to Him.

• Are Strength (‘ōz): This Hebrew term signifies mighty power, force, and efficacy. It is often used to describe God’s invincible might and omnipotence. In the ancient world, power was often seen as chaotic; here, Job attributes ultimate, ordered power solely to God.

• And Wisdom (chochmah): Refers to sagacity, skill, prudence, and knowledge. God’s wisdom is perfect, purposeful, and comprehensive, often depicted as a blueprint for creation. Unlike human wisdom, which can be limited or errant, God’s wisdom encompasses all possibilities.

• The Deceived (rāmāh from the root rāmad): A passive participle, literally "he that is beguiled," "the misled one," or "the seduced." It refers to those who are cunningly led astray, often without their full understanding. Job asserts God's sovereignty extends to the vulnerability of the human mind and will.

• And the Deceiver (ōwlel from the root yālal): This term means "one who acts cunningly," "mischievously," "perversely," or "foolishly." It refers to the active agent in deception, one who willfully leads others astray. In Job's time, trickery and deceit were common, yet this verse declares even the deceiver's actions are ultimately subject to divine oversight.

• Are His: The possessive "His" (lô) is understood through the context of "With Him are." It powerfully reinforces the idea of divine ownership and absolute control over both states (being deceived) and actions (deceiving), indicating that all things, even those seemingly outside moral order, are under God’s ultimate dominion.

• "With Him are Strength and Wisdom": This phrase encapsulates God's two primary attributes that underscore His supreme authority over all creation. His strength allows Him to execute His will irresistibly, and His wisdom ensures that His will is perfectly conceived and executed, even in situations that appear contradictory or unjust to human understanding. This stands as a counterpoint to Job's friends' limited perception of God's justice.

• "The deceived and the deceiver are His": This paradoxical coupling reveals the vast scope of God's sovereignty. It is not merely over good, order, and righteousness, but also over human sin, chaos, and folly. God permits or orchestrates situations where deception occurs, demonstrating that even human sin is part of a larger, divine plan. This is not to say God condones or directly causes evil, but that even evil acts happen within the boundaries of His permissive will and are subject to His ultimate purposes. It signifies that no human action, however perverse, is beyond God’s control.

Job 12 16 Bonus section

This verse can be seen as an early biblical assertion of divine determinism, or at least a very strong form of divine providence that extends to human moral agency, even where it is corrupted. It implies that God is so utterly sovereign that He permits or orchestrates events and human decisions in such a way that both deception and its victims serve a purpose within His grand design, often unknown to human understanding. This truth provides a framework for understanding seemingly irrational suffering, as it roots all circumstances in God's perfect wisdom and overwhelming strength, offering a theological solution that transcends human attempts to reconcile pain with simplistic concepts of justice. The implications reach into Christian theology regarding free will and divine sovereignty, suggesting a compatibility that remains mysterious but absolute in God’s ultimate control.

Job 12 16 Commentary

Job 12:16 serves as a powerful theological statement about God's absolute sovereignty and mysterious ways. Job argues that God's dominion is comprehensive, extending not just to the virtuous and the wise, but even to those involved in the morally ambiguous realm of deception—both the active perpetrator and the passive victim. This challenges the friends' rigid view of divine retribution and highlights that God's operations are far more complex and unfathomable than humans can grasp. God holds supreme power and perfect wisdom, utilizing or allowing all situations, even human failures and evils, to achieve His ultimate, unchallengeable ends. It is a profound declaration that nothing, not even human cunning or folly, can operate outside of God's ultimate purview or thwart His divine will. This truth, while potentially unsettling to those seeking simple explanations for suffering, ultimately offers profound comfort in the realization that even in a chaotic world, the Lord is supremely in control.