Job Chapter 12 verse 19 Holy Bible
He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty.
read chapter 12 in ASV
He makes priests prisoners, overturning those in safe positions;
read chapter 12 in BBE
He leadeth priests away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty;
read chapter 12 in DARBY
He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
read chapter 12 in KJV
He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
read chapter 12 in WBT
He leads priests away stripped, And overthrows the mighty.
read chapter 12 in WEB
Causing ministers to go away a spoil And strong ones He overthroweth.
read chapter 12 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 19. - He leadeth princes away spoiled; rather, priests (כהנים), as in the Revised Version. This is the only mention of "priests" in the Book of Job, and a priest-caste, such as that of Egypt or of Israel, can scarcely be meant. The priests are placed among the mighty, on a par with kings (ver. 18), princes (ver. 21), and "the strong" (ver. 21). This context makes us naturally think of those priest-kings whom we hear of in the olden times, such as were Melchizedek (Genesis 19:18-20) and Jethro (Exodus 3:1; Exodus 18:1-27), and the Egyptian kings of the twenty-first dynasty ('History of Ancient Egypt,' vol. 2. pp. 408-415), and Ethbaal of Tyro ('History of Phoenicia,' p. 435), and Sethos (Herod., 2, 141), and others. Job's allusion is probably to persons of this exalted class, who no doubt were sometimes defeated and dragged into captivity, like other rulers and governors. And overthroweth the mighty. Schultens understands by ethanim (איחנים) "great teachers;" but the ordinary meaning of the word is "strong" or "mighty" (see Job 33:19; Micah 6:2).
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(19) He leadeth princes.--Some understand priests rather than princes. The word appears to be used in both senses; here the parallelism seems to suit princes better. The latter part of this chapter seems to re-echo the sentiments of Eliphaz in Job 5:11-16; but, instead of giving them the optimist direction he had sketched, he confesses that his own position is rather one of blank despair. Eliphaz is quite sure he possesses the key to the interpretation of the ways of Providence. Job ever fears that his ignorance is so profound as to amount almost to sheer hopelessness, Job is thus the type of a man who has felt the hollowness and unreality of traditional orthodox), and is feeling his way in thick darkness, sustained, nevertheless, by an unquenchable faith that there is light, and that the light will eventually dawn. That this character is the more acceptable to the God of truth is made abundantly clear in the sequel. It is to be observed, however, that Job's breadth of view far exceeds that of Eliphaz, inasmuch as the latter generalises vaguely, while Job declares that not men, but nations, are the subjects of God's guiding providence.
