Job 12:17 kjv
He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.
Job 12:17 nkjv
He leads counselors away plundered, And makes fools of the judges.
Job 12:17 niv
He leads rulers away stripped and makes fools of judges.
Job 12:17 esv
He leads counselors away stripped, and judges he makes fools.
Job 12:17 nlt
He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment;
wise judges become fools.
Job 12 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 33:10 | The LORD frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans... | God's power over national wisdom and plans. |
| Ps 75:6-7 | For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west... | God is the ultimate dispenser of power. |
| Ps 107:40 | He pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. | God humbles and brings low the mighty. |
| Job 5:12 | He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. | God obstructs the cunning. |
| Job 5:13-14 | He catches the wise in their own craftiness... | God makes human wisdom self-defeating. |
| Job 9:4-5 | He is wise in heart and mighty in strength... He removes mountains... | God's insurmountable wisdom and power. |
| Pr 16:1 | The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. | Human plans are subject to divine will. |
| Pr 19:21 | Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. | God's purpose overrides human intentions. |
| Pr 21:30 | There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel against the LORD. | Human intellect is powerless against God. |
| Is 19:11-12 | The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wisest counselors... become senseless. | God makes the counselors of nations foolish. |
| Is 29:14 | Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work... | God destroys the wisdom of the wise. |
| Is 40:23 | He reduces princes to nothing, and makes the judges of the earth useless. | Direct echo of God nullifying rulers. |
| Is 44:25 | who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners... | God exposes and makes foolish false wisdom. |
| Jer 8:9 | The wise men are put to shame; they are dismayed and caught. | The wise will be confounded by God's truth. |
| Dan 2:21 | He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; | God's sovereign control over rulers and history. |
| Lk 1:52 | He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble. | God's power to humble the proud and elevate the lowly. |
| 1 Cor 1:19-20 | For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise... | God renders worldly wisdom foolish. |
| Rom 1:21-22 | ...they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. | Rejection of God leads to intellectual foolishness. |
| Rom 11:33-34 | Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! | God's unsearchable ways surpass all human understanding. |
| Ps 2:4 | He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. | God's ultimate disdain for human defiance/presumption. |
| 2 Sam 15:31 | O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. | A specific prayer for God to thwart a wise human counselor. |
| Job 34:24-25 | He shatters the mighty without inquiry and sets others in their place. | God’s power to break down rulers arbitrarily from a human perspective. |
Job 12 verses
Job 12 17 Meaning
Job 12:17 declares that God actively dismantles the wisdom and authority of humanity's most esteemed figures. He deprives those considered wise counselors of their insight and power, reducing them to a state of being stripped bare of their effectiveness. Furthermore, He causes judges, the arbiters of justice and order, to act foolishly, rendering their judgments unsound or even absurd. This verse underscores God's absolute sovereignty over human intelligence, leadership, and perceived control, demonstrating His unparalleled power to humble and overturn earthly institutions and individuals, revealing the ephemeral nature of human strength and sagacity in the face of divine might.
Job 12 17 Context
Job 12:17 is part of Job's lengthy and impassioned response to his friends' accusations and simplistic explanations for his suffering. Throughout chapters 12-14, Job asserts God's absolute and incomprehensible sovereignty over all creation, including human affairs, justice, and wisdom. His friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, operate under a traditional wisdom framework: the righteous prosper, the wicked suffer. Job refutes this, highlighting God's power to act beyond predictable moral retribution, humbling even the wisest and most authoritative figures (counselors and judges) without apparent cause from a human perspective. This verse emphasizes God's untamed and independent nature, challenging the notion that human structures or intelligence can predict, manipulate, or limit divine action. It contrasts with his friends' belief that justice is neatly dispensed based on human actions, portraying a God whose power utterly dwarfs and overrides all human endeavors, including governance and wisdom.
Job 12 17 Word analysis
- He leads (מוליך, molîḵ): From the Hiphil participle of the verb הָלַךְ (halak), meaning "to cause to go," "to lead," "to carry away." The subject "He" explicitly refers to God, the active agent. This signifies an intentional and authoritative act, not a passive consequence. It portrays God as orchestrating the downfall of these powerful figures, asserting His complete control.
- counselors (יועצים, yôʿatsîm): Plural of יועץ (yoʿetz), meaning "advisor," "counselor," "expert in giving counsel." In ancient societies, counselors were crucial figures, often serving kings and rulers, their wisdom seen as essential for stable governance and wise decisions. Their downfall signifies the collapse of human intellectual and political sagacity.
- away stripped (שסוים, shĕsûyîm): Hiphil passive participle of שׁוּס (shus), meaning "to plunder," "to strip off," "to take away forcefully." In this context, it implies they are divested not just of their clothes (a common act for prisoners or conquered peoples) but, more profoundly, of their authority, dignity, power, and effectiveness. They are left vulnerable, exposed, and helpless, having nothing left of their former standing.
- and makes fools of (וּשׁפֹּק, ūshĕphōq): Hiphil infinitive construct of שָׁפַק (shaphaq), a verb whose primary meaning relates to striking, clapping, or dashing. In the Hiphil, it carries the sense of "making foolish," "stupefying," "rendering senseless," or "causing to stumble" or "to make clatter" implying utter ruin and mockery. It speaks to God's capacity to undermine and ridicule human judgment and sense, transforming presumed wisdom into absurdity.
- judges (שׁפטים, shophetim): Plural of שׁוּפֶט (shophet), meaning "judge," "ruler," "one who discerns and dispenses justice." Judges were pivotal in maintaining societal order, law, and justice. Their being made fools implies a corruption or reversal of their ability to rule fairly or make sound decisions, highlighting the breakdown of the very structures that ensure righteousness and stability in society.
- He leads counselors away stripped and makes fools of judges: This phrase underscores the absolute nature of God's power over human systems of wisdom and justice. God is not merely allowing human institutions to fail; He is actively causing their incapacitation and humiliation. This demonstrates His supreme authority to disrupt and disarray the very pillars of human society, showcasing the futility of human intellect and authority when arrayed against divine will. The pairing of "counselors" and "judges" covers the breadth of societal governance – policy-making through advice and implementation through justice. Their shared fate highlights God's comprehensive control.
Job 12 17 Bonus section
This verse serves as a stark reminder of the limitations of human wisdom and power. In a culture where societal structure, good counsel, and impartial judgment were seen as fundamental to prosperity and stability, Job's assertion is revolutionary. It implies that human efforts to control outcomes, even through wise governance and judicial processes, are ultimately secondary to God's will. It is part of Job's broader argument that God’s actions are often mysterious and transcend human categories of righteousness and justice, inviting profound humility before His omnipotence rather than seeking to fit Him into humanly constructed theological boxes. This profound statement prepares the reader for the eventual divine revelation where God asserts His incomprehensible wisdom and power.
Job 12 17 Commentary
Job 12:17 powerfully articulates Job's theological counter-argument to his friends, asserting God's unqualified sovereignty over human power and intellect. Job portrays God as an active, independent agent who, unlike human kings and leaders, is not bound by or accountable to human expectations of order or justice. The verse uses strong imagery: "stripping" counselors implies a removal of their honor, wisdom, and ability, leaving them exposed and powerless. "Making fools of judges" signifies a deliberate act of God that causes those responsible for upholding order and justice to err, behave irrationally, or have their decisions subverted. This is not a mere natural decline of human capabilities but a direct divine intervention, a testament to God's omnipotence. For Job, this truth explains why God might allow suffering among the righteous and the prosperity of the wicked; His ways transcend human understanding and control. The verse emphasizes that all human authority, no matter how elevated or wise, is ultimately transient and entirely subject to God's unfathomable will. It is a profound declaration of God's untamed nature, where His justice and wisdom are not necessarily decipherable by human categories, challenging the notion of a predictable, anthropocentric universe.