Job 12:13 — Word Study
WLCעִ֭מּוֹ חָכְמָ֣ה וּגְבוּרָ֑ה ל֝֗וֹ עֵצָ֥ה וּתְבוּנָֽה׃
BSAWisdomchokmâh [skill, prudence, or good judgment] and strengthgᵉbûwrâh [might, power, or bravery] belong to Godʻim [the supreme Creator] counselʻêtsâh [advice, plan, or purpose] and understanding are Histâbûwn [insight, intelligence, or discretion]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| עִ֭מּוֹ | [are] with him | Preposition, suffix |
| חָכְמָ֣ה | wisdom | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| וּגְבוּרָ֑ה | and might | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| ל֝֗וֹ | [belong] to him | Preposition, suffix |
| עֵצָ֥ה | counsel | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| וּתְבוּנָֽה׃ | and understanding | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His. |
| KJV | With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. |
| ASV | With God is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding. |
| YLT | With Him [are] wisdom and might, To him [are] counsel and understanding. |
| WEB | “With God is wisdom and might. He has counsel and understanding. |
| BBE | With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his. |
The translations agree on the meaning of wisdom and strength belonging to God.
The sentence is structured around a main clause with two subordinate phrases describing God's attributes.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 12:13
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — God's Sovereignty and Wisdomgenerated
Job 12:13 emphasizes that true wisdom and strength are found in God alone, contrasting human understanding with divine insight. This passage is part of Job's discourse on the nature of God, where he asserts that God's counsel and understanding are unmatched, highlighting the limitations of human wisdom. The surrounding verses further illustrate the theme of God's ultimate authority over creation and His ability to enact His will without opposition.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 32:6–9 | So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite declared: “I am young in years, while you are old; that is why I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know. |
| 2 | Job 12:16 | True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His. |
| 3 | Job 9:4 | God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered? |
| 4 | Job 28:20–28 | From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell? |
| 5 | Job 36:5 | Indeed, God is mighty, but He despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 18 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חָכְמָה, chokh.mahgenerated
The noun חָכְמָה (chokmah) signifies wisdom, encompassing skill, prudence, and good judgment. It is often associated with practical knowledge in various fields, including governance and morality, as illustrated in the book of Proverbs.
This term is derived from the root חָכַם (chakam), which relates to the concept of being wise or skillful. In this verse, it underscores that true wisdom, which is essential for effective leadership and decision-making, is a divine attribute belonging to God.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree that wisdom and strength belong to God, with the BSB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE all conveying this meaning clearly.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse centers around two main predicates: חָכְמָה (wisdom) and וּגְבוּרָה (might), both of which are linked to God. This parallel construction emphasizes the completeness of God's attributes.
The conjunctions וּ (and) connect the attributes of wisdom and might with counsel and understanding, creating a balanced and comprehensive description of what belongs to God.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, חָכְמָה is rendered as σοφία (sophia), which carries a similar meaning of wisdom but can also imply a philosophical understanding. This choice reflects a broader interpretation of wisdom in the Greek context.
The use of βουλὴ (boulē) for עֵצָה indicates a focus on the aspect of counsel as a plan or purpose, aligning with the Greek understanding of wisdom as not just knowledge but also practical application.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 12:13 states that wisdom and strength are attributes of God, while counsel and understanding also belong to Him. This verse highlights that all true wisdom and power originate from God, emphasizing His sovereignty over all creation.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that true wisdom, which encompasses skill and good judgment, originates from God and is part of His divine nature.
This verse contrasts divine wisdom with human understanding, suggesting that human wisdom is limited compared to God's infinite insight.
It implies that God's plans and purposes are perfect and that He possesses the insight necessary to guide creation effectively.
We can seek wisdom from God through prayer, studying His Word, and seeking His guidance in our decisions.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I need to seek God's wisdom and understanding?
- How can I apply the principles of divine wisdom in my daily decisions?
- What does it mean for me to acknowledge God's strength in my life?
- How can I cultivate a deeper relationship with God to gain insight and counsel?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Gregory the Dialogist comments on this verse to highlight the attributes of the Only Begotten Son of the Supreme Father.
With Him is wisdom and strength: He hath counsel and understanding. We not unfitly interpret these words of the Only begotten Son of the Supreme Father,Early Church Fathers on Job 12 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 12:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleWith him [is] wisdom and strength,.... Not with the ancient and long lived man, but with God, who has made the whole universe, and in whose hand and at whose dispose all creatures are, Job 12:9; with
Read John Gill on Job 12 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryWith him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 12 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWith him, i.e. with God; the relative being put for the antecedent, which is easily and necessarily understood out of the scope of the place, and all the following verses. Wisdom; perfect wisdom is only in him, and all wisdom in the world cometh from him, who giveth to old or young as it pleaseth him. The ancient are not wise without his gift and grace, and with that a younger man may be wiser than the ancients, as David was, . Counsel and understanding; counsel, i.e. practical wisdom to guide all the affairs of the world; and understanding, or a speculative knowledge of all persons and things.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 12 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 12:13 With him [is] wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.Ver. 13. With him is wisdom and strength, &c.] Wisdom, strength, counsel, and understanding, are all concentred in the Ancient of days; complete he is in all excellence and perfection, all which meet in him, and continue always in the highest degree. The mighty God "fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding," Isaiah 40:28. He is also no less good than great and wise; good, original, universal, all sufficient, and satisfactory, proportionate, and fitting for our soul; which, as it was made by him, and for him, so it is never at quiet till it resteth in him. See Job 9:4. He hath…
Read John Trapp on Job 12 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 13. With him is wisdom and strength] But all these things come from GOD; he is the Fountain of wisdom and the Source of power. He alone can give us unerring counsel, and understanding to comprehend and act profitably by it. See on Job 12:16.
Read AdamClarke on Job 12 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges13. With him is wisdom and strength] i. e. with God, him being emphatic. There is no antithesis however between His wisdom and that of the aged referred to Job 12:12. The passage that follows to the end of the chapter describes God’s power and wisdom as their operations had been observed by men, though naturally the picture receives its colour from the state of Job’s mind. “Strength” is rather might or power to execute what wisdom devises. These attributes of God’s confound and bring to nought everything bearing the same name among men.
Read Cambridge on Job 12 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleWith him is wisdom - Margin, correctly, “God.” However much wisdom there may seem to be with aged men, yes the true wisdom - that which was supreme and worthy of the name - was to be found in God alone.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 12 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleSection Second — THE WISDOM OF GOD, TO AND POWER, THE DIVINE MORAL IN AN MAZE, Job 12:13-25.First double strophe. Job 12:13-18.a.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 12 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His.
“With God is wisdom and might. He has counsel and understanding.
Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His.
“With God are wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.
Tyndale line
With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
With God is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding.
With him is wisdom and might; he hath counsel and understanding.
With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
With him is wisedome and strength: he hath counsell and vnderstanding.
Strictly literal
With him is wisdom and might; he hath counsel and understanding.
With Him [are] wisdom and might, To him [are] counsel and understanding.
With Him [are] wisdom and might, || To Him [are] counsel and understanding.
That with him are wisdom and strength, his are counsel and understanding.
With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.
From the Latin
With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
Simplified
God has wisdom and power, counsel and understanding belong to him.
With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of Job 12:13, with all six words matched between the two versions. This consistency indicates a shared understanding of the attributes of God as wisdom and strength.
עִ֭מּוֹ חָכְמָ֣ה וּגְבוּרָ֑ה ל֝֗וֹ עֵצָ֥ה וּתְבוּנָֽה׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 12:13
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
עִם (im) is a preposition meaning 'with' and covers a range of relationships, including companionship, locality, and possession. It can imply actions done jointly, equality, or even opposition in contexts like combat. The related form מֵעִם (me.im) means 'from with' or 'beside.' The entries reflect various nuances but do not present significant disagreement.
עִם prep. with
of fellowship and companionship
of aid
Of actions done jointly with another
If the common action be of the nature of a contest or combat, with in the sense of against
Of dealing with a person, or of the relation in which one stands with, or towards, another
Of a common lot together with the wicked
Of equality or resemblance generally aid
Of time, as long as
Of a locality, close to, beside
Of persons, עִם is spec.
in the house or family or service of
In possession of
In the custody or care of
Beside = except
With = friendly with
Idiom. of a thought or purpose present with one
Metaph. together with = in spite of, notwithstanding
base
מֵעִם 72 from with or beside
base
H5973a עִם with . of fellowship and companionship
. Of a locality, close to, beside
. Of persons, עִם is spec. . in the house or family or service of
. In possession of
. In the custody or care of
. Beside = except
. With = friendly with
. Idiom. of a thought or purpose present with one
. Metaph. together with = in spite of, notwithstanding
H5973b מֵעִם from with, beside
5973 `im eem
from 6004; adverb or preposition, with (i.e. in conjunction
with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with;
often with prepositional prefix (and then usually
unrepresented in English):--accompanying, against, and, as (X
long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from
(among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-)to,
with(-al).
see HEBREW for 06004
עִם (im) — with.
1) with
1a) with
1b) against
1c) toward
1d) as long as
מֵעִם (me.im) — from with.
1a) beside, except
1b) in spite of
Prep | Suff — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp3ms
חָכְמָה (chokmah) means wisdom and encompasses various forms of skill, including in war and administration, as well as shrewdness and ethical prudence. It is built from the root word for wisdom, חָכַם (chakam). The term appears in contexts related to both practical and religious matters.
חָכְמָה n.f. wisdom
skill in war
wisdom, in administration
shrewdness, wisdom
wisdom, prudence in religious affairs
wisdom, ethical and religious
base
H2451 חָכְמָה wisdom . skill in war
. wisdom, in administration
. shrewdness, wisdom
. wisdom, prudence in religious affairs
. wisdom, ethical and religious
2451 chokmah khok-maw'
from 2449; wisdom (in a good sense):--skilful, wisdom,
wisely, wit.
see HEBREW for 02449
חׇכְמָה (chokh.mah) — wisdom.
1) wisdom
1a) skill (in war)
1b) wisdom (in administration)
1c) shrewdness, wisdom
1d) wisdom, prudence (in religious affairs)
1e) wisdom (ethical and religious)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
wiz'-dum:
1. Linguistic
2. History
3. Religious Basis
4. Ideals
5. Teaching of Christ
6. Remainder of the New Testament
(1) James
(2) Paul
7. Hypostasis
LITERATURE
1. Linguistic:
In the Revised Version (British and American) the noun "wisdom" and its corresponding adjective and verb ("be wise," "act wisely," etc.) represent a variety of Hebrew words: bin (binah, and in the English Revised Version tebunah), sakhal (sekhel, sekhel), lebh (and in the English Revised Version labhabh), tushiyah (and in the English Revised Version Te`em, `ormah, piqqach. None of these, however, is of very frequent occurrence and by far the most common group is the verb chakham, with the adjective chakham, and the nouns chokhmah, chokhmoth, with something over 300 occurrences in the Old Testament (of which rather more than half are in Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes). Cokhmah, accordingly, may be treated as the Hebrew…
גְּבוּרָה (gbuwrah) refers to strength or might, encompassing concepts of valor and bravery. It is derived from a root related to force and power, often used in a figurative sense. The term can denote not only human strength but also the might of God, highlighting its significance in both personal and divine contexts.
גְּבוּרָה 61 n.f. strength, might
strength
might, valour
might of God
base
H1369 גְּבוּרָה strength, might
1369 gbuwrah gheb-oo-raw'
feminine passive participle from the same as 1368; force
(literally or figuratively); by implication, valor, victory:--
force, mastery, might, mighty (act, power), power, strength.
see HEBREW for 01368
גְּבוּרָה (ge.vu.rah) — might.
1) strength, might
1a) strength
1b) might, valour, bravery
1c) might, mighty deeds (of God)
Aramaic equivalent: ge.vu.rah (גְּבוּרָה "might" H1370)
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Ncfsa
וֹ (o) — him.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine singular
HR/Sp3ms — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp3ms
עֵצָה (`etsah) refers to counsel or advice, and can also imply a plan or purpose. It is derived from a root meaning to advise or provide guidance. The entries consistently emphasize its use in contexts related to providing counsel or making decisions.
עֵצָה n.f. counsel, advice
base
H6098 עֵצָה counsel, advice
6098 `etsah ay-tsaw'
from 3289; advice; by implication, plan; also
prudence:--advice, advisement, counsel(l-(or)), purpose.
see HEBREW for 03289
עֵצָה (e.tsah) — counsel.
counsel, advice, purpose
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
→ General scriptures concerning Pr 1:5; 9:9; 11:14; 12:15; 15:22; 19:20; 20:18; 24:6; 27:9
→ See PRUDENCE
→ REJECTED Pr 1:24-33
(1) The importance of Seeking
Pr 11:14; 12:15; 13:10; 15:22; 20:18
--SEE Instruction (1), INSTRUCTION
Guidance, (3), GUIDANCE
Counsellors, COUNSELLORS
(2) Wise, Examples of
תְּבוּנָה (tebunah) means understanding and encompasses intelligence, skill, and insight. It can refer to both the act of understanding and the faculty itself, as well as the object of knowledge. The term is personified as a teacher in some contexts.
תְּבוּנָה n.f. understanding
the act
the faculty
the object of knowledge
personified as teacher.
base
H8394 תְּבוּנָה understanding
8394 tabuwn taw-boon'
and (feminine) tbuwnah {teb-oo-naw'}; or towbunah
{to-boo-naw'}; from 995; intelligence; by implication, an
argument; by extension, caprice:--discretion, reason,
skilfulness, understanding, wisdom.
see HEBREW for 0995
תְּבוּנָה (ta.vu.nah) — understanding.
1) understanding, intelligence
1a) the act of understanding
1a1) skill
1b) the faculty of understanding
1b1) intelligence, understanding, insight
1c) the object of knowledge
1d) teacher (personification)
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Ncfsa