Job 12 is the twelfth

chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...

of the

Book of Job The Book of Job (), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The language of the Book of Job, combining post-Babylonia ...

in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

of the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

.Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012. The book is anonymous; most scholars believe it was written around 6th century BCE. This chapter records the speech of

Job Work, labor (labour in Commonwealth English), occupation or job is the intentional activity people perform to support the needs and desires of themselves, other people, or organizations. In the context of economics, work can be seen as the huma ...

, which belongs to the Dialogue section of the book, comprising Job 3:1– 31:40.

Text

The original text is written in

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language unti ...

. This chapter is divided into 25 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

are of the

Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...

, which includes the

Aleppo Codex The Aleppo Codex () is a medieval bound manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. The codex was written in the city of Tiberias in the tenth century CE (circa 920) under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate, and was endorsed for its accuracy by Maimonides. ...

(10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). There is also a translation into

Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...

known as the

Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...

, made in the last few centuries BC; some extant ancient manuscripts of this version include

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Old Testament and the majority of the New Testament. It is designated by siglum B or 03 in the Gregory-Aland numb ...

(B;

\mathfrak

^B; 4th century),

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...

(S; BHK:

\mathfrak

^S; 4th century), and

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early ...

(A;

\mathfrak

^A; 5th century).

Analysis

The structure of the book is as follows: *The Prologue (chapters 1–2) *The Dialogue (chapters 3–31) *The Verdicts (32:1–42:6) *The Epilogue (42:7–17) Within the structure, chapter 12 is grouped into the Dialogue section with the following outline: *Job's Self-Curse and Self-Lament (3:1–26) *Round One (4:1–14:22) **Eliphaz (4:1–5:27) **Job (6:1–7:21) **Bildad (8:1–22) **Job (9:1–10:22) **Zophar (11:1–20) **Job (12:1–14:22) ***The Wicked Prosper but I Am Suffering (12:1–6) ***God's Hand in Creation (12:7–12) ***God's Active Control of the World (12:13–25) ***Job's Stance (13:1–3) ***Job's Rebuke of His Friends (13:4–12) ***Addressing the Friends (13:13–19) ***Addressing God (13:20–28) ***The Brevity of Human Life (14:1–6) ***The Lack of Hope for Humans (14:7–12) ***Job's Imaginative Exploration of Hope (14:13–17) ***The Lack of Hope – Again (14:18–22) *Round Two (15:1–21:34) *Round Three (22:1–27:23) *Interlude – A Poem on Wisdom (28:1–28) *Job's Summing Up (29:1–31:40) The Dialogue section is composed in the format of poetry with distinctive syntax and grammar. Chapters 12 to 14 contain Job's closing speech of the first round, where he directly addresses his friends (12:2–3; 13:2, 4–12). Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps - Job and His Friends - 39

Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps - Job and His Friends - 39

Job believes God's hand in creation (12:1–12)

Job points out that some who are wicked are prospering, regardless how the righteous is rewarded or is suffering, and that the life of the nature all are in God's hand (verse 9). Job suggests his friends to look behind the 'age-old traditions' and 'past-dogmas' to 'the God who is both the source of all wisdom' and the one in control of all creation (verse 12).

Verse 9

: ob said:''"Who among all these does not know'' ::''that the hand of the Lord has done this,"'' *"The LORD": translated from the Hebrew ''

YHWH The TetragrammatonPronounced ; ; also known as the Tetragram. is the four-letter Hebrew-language theonym (transliterated as YHWH or YHVH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four Hebrew letters, written and read from right to left, a ...

'', which is the only reference to this name outside the narrative frame (Prologue and Epilogue) or the YHWH speeches (Job 38–41). Three manuscripts of Kennicott and two of de Rossi have the word “God” instead.

Verse 10

:''In whose hand is the life of all living things'' :''and the breath of every human being?''

Job believes God's active control of the worlds (12:13–25)

This section follows Job's statements in verse 12 (which can also be read as rhetorical questions) to declare the wisdom and might of God (verse 13) whose sovereign activity can be observed in all areas and situations of life (verses 14–25).

Verse 23

: ob said:''"He increases the nations and destroys them;'' ::''He enlarges the nations and guides them."'' *"Increases": from the Hebrew verb , ''masgiʾ'' (“makes great”) is a common Aramaic word, but only found in Hebrew text in Job 8:11, 12:23 and 36:24. Some Hebrew manuscripts have a reading derived from , ''shagah'' (“leading astray”), whereas the Greek Septuagint does not have the line.Note on Job 12:23 in NET Bible Job uses the rise and fall of nations, which does not seem to be governed by any moral principle, as an example of God’s arbitrary power,Note on Job 12:23 in NET Bible which is spelled out in detail in Daniel's interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream (

Daniel 2 Daniel 2 (the second chapter of the Book of Daniel) tells how Daniel related and interpreted a dream of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon. In his night dream, the king saw a gigantic statue made of four metals, from its head of gold to its feet ...

) how no group of humans can thwart the purpose of God Almighty.

References

Sources

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External links

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

translations: *
Iyov - Job - Chapter 12 (Judaica Press)
translation ith Rashi's commentary">Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentaryat Chabad.org *

translations: *
''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Book of Job Chapter 12
Various versions * Various versions {{DEFAULTSORT:Job 12 Book of Job chapters">12