Job 5:13 (KJV)

What does Job 5:13 mean?

Job 5:13 says that God catches people who think they are wise in their own clever plans, and He causes the advice of those who are stubborn or twisted to fail dramatically. The verse points out that human schemes, no matter how smart they seem, cannot outsmart God.

In the story, Eliphaz is speaking to Job, trying to explain how God deals with people who rely on their own cunning instead of trusting in Him. Eliphaz is warning that those who act with hidden motives or pride will find their plans overturned, showing that God is ultimately in control and sees through every scheme.

The Hebrew behind Job 5:13

• "taketh" (לָכַד, lakad) means to capture or seize. Here, it shows God actively trapping the so-called wise in the very tricks they thought would help them.
• "wise" (חָכָם, chakam) refers to people who see themselves as clever or skillful, not necessarily wise in a good way.
• "craftiness" (עָרְמָה, ormah) means shrewdness or cunning, often with a negative sense of trickery or slyness.
• "counsel" (עֵצָה, etsah) is advice or plans, especially those made with hidden motives.
• "froward" (פָּתַל, pathal) describes someone who is twisted or crooked in their thinking or actions.
• "headlong" (מָהַר, mahar) means to rush or be carried away quickly, showing how the plans of the stubborn come to a sudden and disastrous end.

Why Job 5:13 matters

• Job 5:13 clears up the idea that cleverness or secret plotting can succeed against God; it emphasizes that God sees through and overturns such plans.
• The verse connects to the larger theme in Job that human wisdom is limited and often flawed, especially when it tries to challenge or outmaneuver God.
• This verse also shows Eliphaz’s perspective: he believes suffering is a result of hidden wrongdoing or pride, which is important for understanding the arguments throughout Job’s story.