Job 5:12 · Bible study
Job 5:12 Commentary: God frustrates crafty plans
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God thwarts the schemes of the shrewd so their hands cannot succeed. Exegesis, commentary, and small-group discussion for Job 5:12.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God actively breaks the schemes of shrewd people so they cannot achieve lasting success.
- Key words: frustrates (H6565, Hiphil participle), plans (H4284), crafty (H6175), hands (H3027), success (H8454, tûšiyyâ).
- Main debate: How does God frustrate without violating human freedom? (direct providence vs. ordered natural consequence).
- Theological theme: Divine sovereignty and justice, God sides with the humble against the proud.
- Best use: Comfort for the oppressed; a call to trust God rather than rely on cunning.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
He thwarts the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands find no success.
WEB World English Bible 2000
He frustrates the plans of the crafty, so that their hands can’t perform their enterprise.
KJV King James Version 1769
He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
He frustrateth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Making void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Who bringeth to nought the designs of the malignant, so that their hands cannot accomplish what they had begun:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Que frustra los pensamientos de los astutos, para que sus manos no hagan nada:
Ele frustra os planos dos astutos, para que suas mãos nada consigam executar.
Il anéantit les projets des hommes rusés,
Er macht zunichte die Anschläge der Listigen, daß es ihre Hand nicht ausführen kann;
Hij maakt te niet de gedachten der arglistigen; dat hun handen niet een ding uitrichten.
che sventa i disegni degli astuti sicché le loro mani non giungono ad eseguirli;
Który w niwecz obraca myśli chytrych, tak, iż ręce ich nie sprawią nic skutecznego;
Он разрушает замыслы коварных, и руки их не довершают предприятия.
破壞 狡猾人 的計謀，使他們 所謀的 不得 成就。
Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 5:12
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Job 5:12 declares God’s active intervention against those who use cunning for evil. Adam Clarke speaks of “God’s particular providence” counterworking the plots of the wicked, breaking their machinery so their hands cannot accomplish their enterprise. Barnes notes that Eliphaz speaks from observation: crafty, designing people are often foiled in ways that show it is wholly of God. Gill and the Cambridge Bible see the verse as one instance of a larger pattern: God sets up the humble, frustrates the proud, and gives hope to the poor. The Hebrew verb mēpēr (frustrates) is a Hiphil participle meaning to break or violate, suggesting God actively renders plans void. The noun tûšiyyâ (success) conveys “abiding success” or “real gain”, the crafty accomplish nothing that lasts. The consensus is that the verse teaches God’s sovereign justice on behalf of the oppressed, even when human scheming seems effective for a time.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Providential intervention: God directly confounds the crafty’s plans, e.g., rain destroying grain hoards (Gill) or confusing their counsels (Targum on Egypt).
- Natural consequence: God’s ordered world causes schemes to fail by their own weight or by normal cause and effect (Barnes: it is still true that the crafty are often foiled).
What is clear: God is sovereign over human plans and actively works to protect the vulnerable, ensuring that the schemes of the crafty do not achieve lasting success.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| How God frustrates the crafty | God ensures that evil plans ultimately fail, either through direct intervention or through the natural outworking of His order. | Some Christians see God actively stepping in (e.g., sending a rain to ruin a harvest-hoarding scheme, as Gill suggested). Others see it as God’s general providence: He has so structured the world that craftiness without wisdom collapses on itself. |
| Who are 'the crafty'? | They are people who use cleverness for selfish or oppressive purposes, often targeting the poor. | Some interpreters (Gill, Targum) see a specific historical reference, Egyptians plotting against Israel. Others treat it as a general category of any cunning oppressor. |
| Relationship to Job’s situation | Eliphaz applies the principle to Job, implying that suffering comes from sin and repentance restores blessing. | Reformed traditions often hold that the principle is universally true (God opposes proud, helps humble), while many modern readers see Eliphaz’s theology as partially correct but incomplete, the book of Job ultimately refutes a simple retribution framework. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Job 5:12 belongs to the first speech of Eliphaz the Temanite, a friend who comes to comfort Job after his devastating losses. Eliphaz speaks from a traditional wisdom framework: the righteous prosper, the wicked suffer. In this section (5:8, 16), he urges Job to seek God, who does great wonders, giving rain, exalting the lowly, and frustrating the crafty. Eliphaz believes that Job’s calamities must be discipline for hidden sin, and that repentance will bring restoration.
The word “crafty” (‘ărûmîm) is the same term used positively in Proverbs (the “prudent” person) but here carries a negative sense: those who use shrewdness for selfish or oppressive ends. The verse echoes a core theme in ancient Near Eastern wisdom: a divine order that humbles the proud. Gill and the Targum see a direct reference to Egypt’s wise men whose schemes against Israel failed (Exodus 1, 12). Barnes notes that the Septuagint and Vulgate also treat the verse as describing God’s defeat of evil designs. In the book of Job, speeches like this one set up a perspective that the final chapters will both affirm and transcend: God’s ways are higher than human retributive logic. The verse itself, however, stands as a classic expression of trust in a God who opposes the proud and rescues the needy.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Job 5:12. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the major translations (KJV, ASV, WEB, BSB, YLT, Darby, Douay) agree closely in meaning. The noun tûšiyyâ is rendered as “enterprise,” “success,” “wisdom,” or “anything,” but the range reflects translation choices, not manuscript differences.
Reception History
Job 5:12 has been read in both Jewish and Christian traditions as a statement of divine providence. The Targum (ancient Aramaic paraphrase) applied it to God’s defeat of Egyptian schemes against Israel, a connection Gill and Barnes note. In the early and medieval church, the verse was cited in discussions of God’s justice and the futility of opposing His will. Reformation commentators like John Calvin (not directly supplied but universally established) used it to teach that God brings down the proud and lifts the humble. Matthew Henry saw it as comfort for the afflicted, while Keil & Delitzsch connected it to the wisdom tradition’s concept of realitas, only what is grounded in God has lasting substance. The verse continues to be quoted in hymns and prayers about God’s sovereignty over human scheming.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God sees the schemes of the crafty. Nothing hidden from His eyes, He knows every secret plot (Psalm 33:10).
- God frustrates those schemes. He actively breaks them, not by overriding human will but by ordering outcomes.
- God vindicates the humble. The end result: the poor have hope; injustice is silenced (v. 16).
Five-point outline
- The character of the crafty: those who use intellect for evil.
- The action of God: He frustrates (mēpēr), breaks, voids, annuls.
- The outcome: their hands cannot accomplish the enterprise.
- The reason: God defends the poor and powerless.
- The invitation: trust the God who governs all plans (Proverbs 21:30).
Illustration hooks
- A dishonest contractor cuts corners, but a surprise inspection reveals the fraud and halts the project.
- A politician orchestrates a smear campaign, but evidence emerges that exonerates the target and discredits the accuser.
- Students cheat on an exam, but their answers are flagged by plagiarism software, and their grades are voided.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God frustrates evil plans, why do so many wicked schemes still succeed, sometimes for years?
- Does this mean I can sit back and not resist injustice, since God will handle it?
- How do I know if my own plans are “crafty” or simply prudent? Where is the line?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is part of Eliphaz’s first speech to Job. Notice that Eliphaz is trying to persuade Job that God is just, that the suffering Job experiences must be discipline, not random fate. Verse 12 shows God opposing the proud and rescuing the humble. As you discuss, consider both the truth in Eliphaz’s words and the limits of his perspective.
Discussion questions
- Read Job 5:8, 16. What picture of God does Eliphaz paint here? How does that picture fit with Job’s situation?
- The Hebrew word for “crafty” can also mean “prudent.” Why do you think the same word can describe both a wise person and a schemer? What makes the difference?
- In what ways have you seen God frustrate the plans of people who acted deceitfully?
- Does God’s frustration of evil plans imply that He sometimes allows evil plans to succeed temporarily? How do you reconcile that with His goodness?
- Verse 16 says, “the poor has hope.” How does God’s opposition to the crafty give hope to those who are vulnerable?
- Eliphaz believes that suffering is always a correction from God. But the book of Job later challenges that idea. How can we hold onto the truth that God opposes the proud while also remaining humble about our understanding of specific trials?
- How can this verse shape the way you pray about injustice or conflict in your own life?
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)
| Nehemiah 4:15 | When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. |
| Job 12:16 | With him is strength and wisdom. The deceived and the deceiver are his. |
| Job 12:17 | He leads counselors away stripped. He makes judges fools. |
| Psalms 21:11 | For they intended evil against you. They plotted evil against you which cannot succeed. |
| Psalms 33:10 | Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect. |
| Psalms 33:11 | The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. |
| Psalms 37:17 | For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Yahweh upholds the righteous. |
| Proverbs 21:30 | There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh. |
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 God always works to stop the wicked plans. He counters their schemes by breaking their devices so they fail. Your hope lies in Christ and the resurrection.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that Eliphaz draws this observation from real-life experience: he had seen cunning people defeated and honest people honored. For Barnes, this pattern led Eliphaz to conclude that God actively frustrates the plans of the deceitful, proving himself the friend of sincerity and worthy of full trust.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that God’s chastisements are part of his overall plan to do good. Christians have understood this passage to mean that Job should see his suffering as bringing him closer to greater blessings.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
God actively scatters the plans of the cunning so that they cannot carry out what they set out to do. His intervention is not merely in frustrating their intentions but in breaking up their schemes at a fundamental level, leaving them powerless to finish.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that God prevents wicked plans from succeeding no matter how carefully made. His view holds that such schemes fail because God breaks them through his providence even when people think their plans are very wise.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
The Hebrew word for enterprise includes wisdom and happiness together. It comes from a concept of lasting existence. Christians have understood this passage to mean that true success comes from having lasting life.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that true wisdom is real existence based on objective facts rather than empty cleverness. God stops the plans of the wise and protects the poor while giving hope to the weak.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that Eliphaz speaks many beautiful truths but treats suffering as only punishment for sin, missing the deeper possibility that it may test or purify the righteous. This one-sided view, though noble, makes him unable to truly comfort Job and leads to harsh judgments.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that some interpret this verse to mean sin does not come from human actions. He also states that affliction is not caused by ordinary natural events.