Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 12:19
He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
19. leadeth princes away spoiled ] Rather, priests. In antiquity priests occupied influential places; cf. what is said of Melchizedek, Genesis 14, of Jethro, priest of Midian, Exo 2:16 seq., and of the influence of the priests in several crises of the history of Israel. On “spoiled’ see Job 12:17.
the mighty ] lit. the established or perennial; being in apposition with priests, usually a hereditary caste, the word describes those who occupied high permanent place among men.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He leadeth princes away spoiled – That is, plundered. The word here rendered princes kohenym means properly priests, and it is usually so rendered in the Scriptures. The ancient Hebrew interpreters suppose that the word sometimes also means prince. The Chaldee paraphrasist has not unfrequently so rendered it, using the word to express it; Gen 41:45; Psa 110:4. In this place, the Vulgate renders it, sacerdotes; and the Septuagint, hiereis, priests. So Luther renders it, Priester. So Castellio. It can be applied to princes or statesmen only because priests were frequently engaged in performing the functions of civil officers, and were in fact to a certain extent officers of the government. But it seems to me that it is to be taken in its usual signification, and that it means that even the ministers of religion were at the control of God, and were subject to the same reverses as other people of distinction and power.
And overthroweth – The word used here ( salaph) has the notion of slipping, or gliding. So in Arabic, the word means to slip by, and to besmear; see Pro 13:6 : Wickedness overthroweth tesalaph, causes to slip) the sinner; compare Pro 21:12; Pro 22:12. Here it means to overthrow, to prostrate. The most mighty chieftains cannot stand firm before him, but they glide away and fall.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 19. He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.] What multitudes of proofs of this does the history of the world present! Even the late disastrous war with the French republic and empire, which began in 1793, and continued without intermission till 1814, was afterwards renewed, and had a catastrophe that went nearly to ruin Europe. How many princes, or rather priests, cohanim, have been spoiled of their power, influence, and authority; and how many mighty men – captains, generals, admirals, c., have been overthrown! But supposing that the writer of the Book of Job lived, as some think, after the captivity, how many priests were led away spoiled, both from Israel and Judah and how many kings and mighty men were overthrown in the disastrous wars between the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Jews!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Princes; so this word, which usually signifies priests, is oft used, as Gen 41:45; 47:22,26; Exo 2:16; 2Sa 8:18, compared with 1Ch 18:17.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
19. princesrather, “priests,”as the Hebrew is rendered (Ps99:6). Even the sacred ministers of religion are not exempt fromreverses and captivity.
the mightyrather, “thefirm-rooted in power”; the Arabic root expressesever-flowing water [UMBREIT].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He leadeth princes away spoiled,…. Of their principalities and dominions, of their wealth and riches, and of their honour and glory; or “priests” u, as some choose to render the word, against whom God has indignation for their sins, and leads them into captivity with others; so the Septuagint version, “he leads the priests captives”; for no office, ever so sacred, can protect wicked men, see La 2:6; and from these sometimes the law perishes, and they are spoiled of their wisdom and knowledge, and made unfit to instruct the people, and so of their credit and reputation among them. Sephorno interprets it of the priests spoiled of their prophesying, they prophesying false things to kings:
and overthroweth the mighty; the mighty angels from heaven when they sinned, and mighty men on earth, kings and princes, whom he puts down from their seats of majesty and grandeur. Sephorno interprets this of kings, whose ways are perverted, by being led by false prophets, as Ahab was. Some w understand this of ecclesiastical men, mighty in word and doctrine, well grounded in theology, yet their wisdom being taken away from them, they turn aside into wicked paths, practices, and principles, and fall from their steadfastness in truth and holiness.
u “sacerdotes”, V. L. Montanus, Tigurine version, Bolducius, Cocceius, Schmidt, Schultens. w Schmidt, Michaelis, Schultens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(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 Jobs 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 Gods guiding providence.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Second double strophe, Job 12:19-25.
a. This wisdom confounds and overwhelms the best as well as the mightiest of the earth. Job 12:19-21.
19. Princes The Hebrew also means priests. They who wait on God’s altars are not exempt from a similar doom. In many ancient states priests were held in esteem quite equal to that of the sovereign. Sometimes, as with Melchisedek, Jethro, and the Assyrians, the two characters of priest and prince were blended together in the same person.
The mighty Those firmly established.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 12:19. He leadeth princes away spoiled He depriveth the priests of their understanding. Schultens.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Job 12:19 He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
Ver. 19. He leadeth away princes spoiled ] Or priests. Ducit sacerdotes inglorios, so the Vulgate translateth, He leadeth away the priests without glory, dishonoured. Priests were generally much esteemed and privileged in all ages. Alexander the Great gave greatest respect to Jaddus, the Jewish high priest. When the Gauls had burnt Rome, and were besieging the capitol, Gaius Fabius Dorso, attired as a priest, with his sacrifice and other necessaries in his hand, marched through the midst of the enemies, astonished at his resolution, offered his sacrifice on the hill Quirinalis, and returned in safety. The Bardi, a kind of priests, were here in Albion of such esteem among the greatest commanders, that if two armies were even at push of pike, and a bard had stepped in between them, they would have held their hands, hearkened to his advice, and not have offered to strike till he were out of danger: Magna fuit quondam capitis reverentia sacri. Howbeit, such also have been carried captive, and slain by the enemy, as was Seraiah, the high priest, by Nebuchadnezzar; and before him the two sons of Eli (whose white ephod covered foul sins), slain by the Philistines. “The Lord hath despised, in the indignation of his anger, both the king and the priest,” Lam 2:6 . “Both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not,” Jer 14:18 . The word Cohen is used indifferently to signify a priest or prince, an ecclesiastical or secular governor. Broughton rendereth it here dukes; others, presidents or praefects of provinces. Honour is no shelter against the wrath of God.
And overthroweth the mighty
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jos 10:24, Jos 10:42, 1Sa 17:45, 1Sa 17:46, Isa 37:36-38, Isa 45:1, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:19-21
Reciprocal: Jdg 4:17 – fled Job 34:19 – princes Dan 2:47 – a Lord 1Co 2:6 – of the