Job 12:13 · Bible study
Job 12:13 Commentary: God’s Wisdom and Strength Supreme
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Job 12:13 contrasts human wisdom with God’s absolute wisdom and might, challenging retributive theology. Essential for understanding Job’s argument.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Job affirms that God alone possesses true wisdom, strength, counsel, and understanding.
- Key words: חָכְמָה (chokhmah, wisdom), גְּבוּרָה (gevurah, might), עֵצָה (etsah, counsel), תְּבוּנָה (tevunah, understanding).
- Main debate: How Job uses this confession to challenge retributive theology, not the meaning of the verse itself.
- Theological theme: Divine sovereignty and the limits of human wisdom in the face of suffering.
- Best use: As a foundation for teaching on God’s attributes and as a pivot in the book of Job’s theodicy.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“With God is wisdom and might. He has counsel and understanding.
KJV King James Version 1769
With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
With Godis wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
With Him are wisdom and might, To him are counsel and understanding.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
With him is wisdom and might; he hath counsel and understanding.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Con Dios está la sabiduría y la fortaleza; suyo es el consejo y la inteligencia.
Com Deus está a sabedoria e a força; o conselho e o entendimento lhe pertencem.
En Dieu résident la sagesse et la puissance.
Bei ihm ist Weisheit und Gewalt, Rat und Verstand.
Bij Hem is wijsheid en macht; Hij heeft raad en verstand.
Ma in Dio stanno la saviezza e la potenza, a lui appartengono il consiglio e l’intelligenza.
Dopieroż u Pana jest mądrość, i siła, i rada, i umiejętność.
У Него премудрость и сила; Его совет и разум.
在 神 有智慧 和能力；他有 謀略 和知識。
With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 12:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Across the commentaries supplied, a strong consensus emerges: this verse deliberately contrasts the limited wisdom of aged men (v12) with the infinite wisdom and might that belong to God alone. Keil and Delitzsch emphasize that the pronouns עמּו and לו are placed first for emphasis, manifestly introducing an antithesis, the one set in contrast to the many men of experience is God. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown notes that Job quotes a saying of the ancients but then insists “with Him is the true wisdom.” Matthew Henry calls this “a noble discourse” and observes that Job and his friends, when not entangled in debate, could agree on God’s sovereignty. The verse thus functions as a pivot: it acknowledges the value of tradition while subordinating it to divine wisdom, preparing for the account of God’s unfathomable works in 12:14, 25. This challenges the friends’ retributive framework by grounding Job’s confidence not in human reasoning but in God’s transcendent character.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Job asserts that God alone possesses true wisdom, might, counsel, and understanding, in contrast to the limited wisdom of human elders.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The contrast with human wisdom (v12, 13) | All commentators note that Job contrasts the limited wisdom of aged men with God's absolute wisdom and might. | Some see Job as fully endorsing the traditional saying but subordinating it; others view him as using the friends' own tradition against them to expose its insufficiency. |
| Implication for theodicy | Job shifts the grounds of discussion from human merit to God's sovereign will, challenging simplistic retribution. | Christians differ on whether this represents Job's mature trust or a resigned submission that later requires correction (cf. Job 42). |
| The meaning of 'with him' | The antecedent is God, as the surrounding context makes clear. | No significant debate; all supplied commentaries interpret 'him' as God. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The book of Job is set in the land of Uz, a region east of Israel, and draws on ancient Near Eastern wisdom traditions that prized the counsel of elders. In the dialogue, Job is responding to Bildad’s appeal to ancestral wisdom (Job 8:8, 10). After observing God’s power in nature (12:7, 10), Job acknowledges in 12:12 that “with aged men is wisdom”, a conventional view. But verse 13 immediately subverts that convention: “With Him is wisdom and might.” The Cambridge Bible notes that Job learns by both eye and ear, yet his ultimate reference is God. The verse’s placement after a saying about long life (v12) and before a catalogue of divine sovereign acts (vv14, 25) is deliberate. Job is neither rejecting tradition outright nor collapsing into skepticism; rather, he relativizes human experience before the God who “breaks down and it cannot be built again” (v14). This rhetorical move undermines the friends’ confidence that suffering always fits a neat retributive pattern, because God’s wisdom and power transcend human categories. The ancient audience would have recognized the appeal to tradition but would also have felt the force of Job’s sharpening of that appeal toward God alone.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Job 12:13. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. Translation differences (e.g., 'strength' vs. 'might') reflect lexical choices rather than textual uncertainty.
Reception History
This verse has been incorporated into Christian theological reflections on the attributes of God, particularly His omniscience and omnipotence. In the Reformation era, it was cited to argue for God's absolute sovereignty over human affairs. It is frequently paired with Proverbs 8:14 and Job 28 to emphasize that wisdom originates in God. Modern scholarship often treats it as a key text for understanding the book of Job’s rhetorical strategy against retributive theology.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Human wisdom is limited and contextual (v12).
- God’s wisdom and strength are absolute and essential (v13).
- This truth calls us to trust God’s sovereignty even when we cannot trace His ways (vv14, 25).
Five-point outline
- The conventional view: wisdom comes with age and tradition.
- The correction: Job redirects attention from human sages to God.
- The attributes named: wisdom, might, counsel, understanding, all reside in God.
- The demonstration: verses 14, 25 show God’s sovereign work in nature and nations, often defying human logic.
- The challenge: This demolishes the simplistic equation of suffering with sin; we are left with awe and dependence.
Illustration hooks
- A child who thinks they understand a complex family situation better than a parent, only to realize the parent has far more information and foresight.
- An experienced doctor who still admits there are mysteries about the human body; the greatest physician is God.
- The contrast between a fixed set of instructions and the living, responsive wisdom of a craftsman, God’s wisdom works beyond the page.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God has all wisdom and strength, why does He allow evil?
- How can I trust God’s plan when my own understanding fails?
- Is it okay to question God’s actions when life seems unjust?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the turning point of Job’s speech (ch.12). After acknowledging the value of traditional wisdom (v12), Job powerfully insists that true wisdom belongs only to God. This sets up his description of God’s unsearchable ways in the rest of the chapter. As you study, consider how Job uses this confession to challenge the easy answers of his friends.
Discussion questions
- Read Job 12:12, 13. What contrast does Job draw between the two verses?
- Why does Job pile up synonyms, wisdom, might, counsel, understanding? What does this suggest about God?
- How does this confession challenge Bildad’s earlier argument (Job 8:8, 10)?
- Scan Job 12:14, 25. How does the description of God’s actions in those verses illustrate the truth of v13?
- In your own life, when have you been tempted to reduce God’s ways to a simple formula? What helped you see His greater wisdom?
- How can acknowledging that God alone has full wisdom and strength affect your response to suffering or injustice?
- What does it mean to “fear the Lord” as the beginning of wisdom (Job 28:28), in light of v13?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 9:4 | God is wise in heart, and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against him and prospered? |
| Job 11:6 | that he would show you the secrets of wisdom! For true wisdom has two sides. Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your iniquity deserves. |
| Job 12:16 | With him is strength and wisdom. The deceived and the deceiver are his. |
| Job 28:20 | Where then does wisdom come from? Where is the place of understanding? |
| Job 28:28 | To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’” |
| Job 32:6 | Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered, “I am young, and you are very old. Therefore I held back, and didn’t dare show you my opinion. |
| Job 32:9 | It is not the great who are wise, nor the aged who understand justice. |
| Job 36:5 | “Behold, God is mighty, and doesn’t despise anyone. He is mighty in strength of understanding. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that wisdom and strength are not things a person possesses on their own. He says God alone is the source of both, giving people true understanding so they can act correctly. Your trust in God brings lasting hope.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that while people look to the aged for wisdom, Job insists that true wisdom resides solely in God. Job directs attention to God's sovereign power over creation and human affairs, where he reverses fortunes at his pleasure, showing that earthly outcomes do not always match character.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the events described in Job 12:13 to 25 are references to past disasters in nature and human life. Christians have understood this passage to mean these stories were passed down through tradition rather than witnessed by Job.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
With him is wisedome and strength: he hath counsell and vnderstanding.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that true wisdom and strength belong to God alone, not to the oldest or wisest humans. While aged people may gain wisdom but lose strength, God holds both in infinite perfection, displayed in creation, providence, and the work of redemption through Christ.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that the wise man in Job cites Proverbs 8:14 showing God alone is true wisdom. He says God uses that wisdom to destroy all things as an absolute ruler who lets no one understand his mysteries and who requires people to obey his unchangeable decisions.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that while human words need testing, God alone possesses true wisdom and strength. He has perfect understanding and power to carry out his plans without fail.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads Job's declaration as a pointed, ironic retort against Zophar. Job intentionally surpasses the friends' own description of God's wisdom and power, using an elevated tone to expose their incompetence rather than to confess any sin. His point is that they cannot teach him about a God he already knows far better.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry says God holds all wisdom strength and counsel. He controls nations rulers and people according to his own will.