He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
Parallel translations
- WEB He leads priests away stripped, and overthrows the mighty.
- BSB He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows the established.
- NKJV He leads princes away plundered, And overthrows the mighty.
- NASB “He makes priests walk barefoot, And overthrows the secure ones.
- NLT He leads priests away, stripped of status; he overthrows those with long years in power.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God leads priests away stripped and overthrows the mighty. Even sacred and strong figures fall before Him.
Overview
Job declares that God humbles priests and topples the powerful, showing that no office or strength is secure apart from Him. Religious standing and human might alike depend on God's will. This points to the supremacy of Christ, our great High Priest, before whom every lesser authority must yield (Hebrews 7:23-28; Philippians 2:9-11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Isa 37:36–38Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
- Isa 45:1Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
- Job 24:22He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.
- 1 Sam 17:45–46Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
- Rev 19:19–21And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
- Rev 17:14These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
- Josh 10:24And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
- Josh 10:42And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.
- Job 35:9By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.
- Job 34:28So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 12:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.