He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their stead.
Parallel translations
- WEB He breaks in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out, and sets others in their place.
- BSB He shatters the mighty without inquiry and sets up others in their place.
- 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 2:21And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
- Ps 94:5They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage.
- Ps 72:4He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
- Ps 2:9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
- Ps 113:7–8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
- 1 Kgs 14:7–8Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel,
- 1 Sam 2:30–36Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
- Dan 2:34–35Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
- Dan 2:44–45And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
- Job 19:2How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?
- Dan 5:28–31PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
- Job 12:19He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
- 1 Kgs 14:14Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now.
- Jer 51:20–23Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
- 1 Sam 15:28And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
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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.