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Job 12:17
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15 If He awithholds the waters, they dry up;
If He bsends them out, they overwhelm the earth. 
16 With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17 He leads counselors away plundered,
And makes fools of the judges.
18 He loosens the bonds of kings,
And binds their waist with a belt.
19 He leads1 princes away plundered,
And overthrows the mighty. 
20 aHe deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And takes away the discernment of the elders. 
21 aHe pours contempt on princes,
And1 disarms the mighty. 
22 He auncovers deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light. 
23 aHe1 makes nations great, and destroys them;
He enlarges nations, and guides them. 
24 He takes away the1 understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And amakes them wander in a pathless wilderness. 
25 aThey grope in the dark without light,
And He makes them bstagger like a drunken man. 
Commentaries:
Barnes' Notes
<< Job 12:16   Job 12:18 >>


Job 12:17

He leadeth counsellors away spoiled - Plundered or captive. That is, the counsels of wise and great men do not avail against God. Statesmen who promised themselves victory as the result of their plans he disappoints, and leads away into captivity. The object of this is to show that God is superior over all, and also that people are not dealt with in exact accordance with their character and rank. God is a sovereign, and he shows his sovereignty when defeating the counsels and purposes of the wisest of men, and overturning the plans of the mighty.

And maketh the judges fools - He leaves them to distracted and foolish plans. He leaves them to the adoption of measures which result in their own ruin. He is a sovereign, having control over the minds of the great, and power to defeat all their counsels, and to render them infatuated. Nothing can be clearer than this. Nothing has been more frequently illustrated in the history of nations. In accordance with this belief is the well-known expression:

Quem Deus vult perdere prius dementat.

"Whom God purposes to destroy, he first infatuates."




Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Job 12:17:

Job 12:24
Isaiah 59:15

 

<< Job 12:16   Job 12:18 >>

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