He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
Parallel translations
- WEB He increases the nations, and he destroys them. He enlarges the nations, and he leads them captive.
- BSB He makes nations great and destroys them; He enlarges nations, then disperses them.
- NKJV He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them.
- NASB “He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
- NLT He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them.
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 sovereignly raises up and brings down whole nations. The rise and fall of peoples lies entirely in His hands.
Overview
Job affirms that God governs not just individuals but the destinies of nations, increasing and destroying, enlarging and leading them captive. This echoes the biblical theme that the Most High rules the kingdoms of men. It reminds us that history's great movements unfold under God's providence rather than mere chance or human strength.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 9:3Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
- Isa 26:15Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.
- Isa 60:22A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.
- Ps 107:38He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
- Exod 1:7And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
- Jer 30:19And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
- Isa 27:6He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
- Jer 33:22As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
- Isa 51:2Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
- Zech 10:8I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.
- Exod 1:20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 12:23 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.