He shatters the mighty without inquiry and sets up others in their place.
Parallel translations
- WEB He breaks in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out, and sets others in their place.
- KJV He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their stead.
- NKJV He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place.
- NASB “He breaks in pieces the mighty without investigation, And sets others in their place.
- NLT He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone, and he sets up others in their place.
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 shatters the mighty without inquiry and raises up others in their place. It shows His sovereign power to remove and appoint rulers.
Overview
Elihu describes God breaking powerful men 'in ways past finding out' and replacing them as He wills. God's governance of human affairs is beyond full human comprehension yet entirely just. This sovereignty over rulers reminds us that God 'removes kings and sets up kings' (Daniel 2:21), ordering history toward His purposes, fulfilled in the reign of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Dan 2:21He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
- Ps 94:5They crush Your people, O LORD; they oppress Your heritage.
- Ps 72:4May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
- Ps 2:9You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”
- Ps 113:7–8He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump
- 1 Kgs 14:7–8Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel.
- 1 Sam 2:30–36Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.
- Dan 2:34–35As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them.
- Dan 2:44–45In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.
- Job 19:2“How long will you torment me and crush me with your words?
- Dan 5:28–31PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
- Job 12:19He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows the established.
- 1 Kgs 14:14Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today!
- Jer 51:20–23“You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.
- 1 Sam 15:28So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.
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 34:24 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.