17 He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.
17 He leads rulers away stripped and makes fools of judges.
17 He leads counselors away stripped, and judges he makes fools.
17 He strips experts of their vaunted credentials, exposes judges as witless fools.
17 He leads counselors away plundered, And makes fools of the judges.
17 He leads counselors away, stripped of good judgment; wise judges become fools.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 12:17
Commentary on Job 12:12-25
(Read Job 12:12-25)
This is a noble discourse of Job concerning the wisdom, power, and sovereignty of God, in ordering all the affairs of the children of men, according to the counsel of His own will, which none can resist. It were well if wise and good men, who differ about lesser things, would see how it is for their honour and comfort, and the good of others, to dwell most upon the great things in which they agree. Here are no complaints, or reflections. He gives many instances of God's powerful management of the children of men, overruling all their counsels, and overcoming all their oppositions. Having all strength and wisdom, God knows how to make use, even of those who are foolish and bad; otherwise there is so little wisdom and so little honesty in the world, that all had been in confusion and ruin long ago. These important truths were suited to convince the disputants that they were out of their depth in attempting to assign the Lord's reasons for afflicting Job; his ways are unsearchable, and his judgments past finding out. Let us remark what beautiful illustrations there are in the word of God, confirming his sovereignty, and wisdom in that sovereignty: but the highest and infinitely the most important is, that the Lord Jesus was crucified by the malice of the Jews; and who but the Lord could have known that this one event was the salvation of the world?