Job 12:25
New International Version
They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.

New Living Translation
They grope in the darkness without a light. He makes them stagger like drunkards.

English Standard Version
They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Berean Standard Bible
They grope in the darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunkards.

King James Bible
They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

New King James Version
They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

New American Standard Bible
“They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken person.

NASB 1995
“They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

NASB 1977
“They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Legacy Standard Bible
They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them wander about like a drunken man.

Amplified Bible
“They grope in darkness without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.”

Christian Standard Bible
They grope around in darkness without light; he makes them stagger like a drunkard.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They grope around in darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunken men.

American Standard Version
They grope in the dark without light; And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

Contemporary English Version
lost in the dark, staggering like someone drunk.

English Revised Version
They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They grope in the dark with no light, and he makes them stumble like drunks.

Good News Translation
they grope in the dark and stagger like drunkards.

International Standard Version
They grope in the dark without light; he causes them to stagger around like a drunkard."

Majority Standard Bible
They grope in the darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunkards.

NET Bible
They grope about in darkness without light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.

New Heart English Bible
They grope in the dark without light. He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Webster's Bible Translation
They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

World English Bible
They grope in the dark without light. He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
They feel darkness, and not light, "" He causes them to wander as a drunkard.”

Young's Literal Translation
They feel darkness, and not light, He causeth them to wander as a drunkard.

Smith's Literal Translation
They will feel darkness and not light, and he will cause them to wander as one intoxicated.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They shall grope as in the dark, and not in the light, and he shall make them stagger like men that are drunk.

Catholic Public Domain Version
They will grope as in the darkness, not the light, and he will make them stagger like drunkards.

New American Bible
They grope in the darkness without light; he makes them wander like drunkards.

New Revised Standard Version
They grope in the dark without light; he makes them stagger like a drunkard.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They search in darkness without light, and they grope in darkness without understanding; and he makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They will search in darkness and not in the light, and they will grope in the darkness and not the light, and he inebriates them like drunkards
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
They grope in the dark without light, And He maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let them grope in darkness, and let there be no light, and let them wander as a drunken man.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Responds to Zophar
24He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. 25They grope in the darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunkards.

Cross References
Isaiah 59:10
Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead.

Psalm 107:27
They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their skill was useless.

Deuteronomy 28:29
and at noon you will grope about like a blind man in the darkness. You will not prosper in your ways. Day after day you will be oppressed and plundered, with no one to save you.

Isaiah 19:14
The LORD has poured into her a spirit of confusion. Egypt has been led astray in all she does, as a drunkard staggers through his own vomit.

Psalm 82:5
They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Proverbs 4:19
But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.

John 12:35
Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

Matthew 15:14
Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Isaiah 42:16
I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.

Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.

1 John 2:11
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Isaiah 6:9-10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Ephesians 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

Romans 11:8
as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”


Treasury of Scripture

They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them to stagger like a drunken man.

grope

Job 5:14
They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

Genesis 19:11
And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

Deuteronomy 28:29
And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

maketh

Psalm 107:27
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.

Isaiah 19:14
The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

Isaiah 24:20
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

stagger.

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Causeth Dark Darkness Drunkard Drunkards Drunken Feel Feeling Grope Help Light Makes Maketh Overcome Stagger Wander Wandering Wine
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Causeth Dark Darkness Drunkard Drunkards Drunken Feel Feeling Grope Help Light Makes Maketh Overcome Stagger Wander Wandering Wine
Job 12
1. Job maintains himself against his friends that reprove him
7. He acknowledges the doctrine of God's omnipotence














They grope in the darkness
This phrase paints a vivid picture of confusion and disorientation. The Hebrew word for "grope" is "מָשַׁשׁ" (mashash), which conveys a sense of feeling around blindly, as one would in complete darkness. This imagery is often used in the Bible to describe spiritual blindness or a lack of understanding. In the context of Job, it reflects the profound bewilderment and lack of direction experienced by those who are cut off from God's wisdom and guidance. Historically, darkness has been a symbol of chaos and evil, contrasting with the light of God's truth and order.

without light
The absence of light signifies the absence of divine guidance and truth. In Hebrew, "אוֹר" (or) is the word for light, often associated with God's presence and revelation. Light is a recurring biblical metaphor for knowledge, purity, and divine presence. In the ancient Near Eastern context, light was essential for life and safety, and its absence was feared. Job's use of this imagery underscores the plight of those who reject or are deprived of God's wisdom, leaving them vulnerable and lost.

He makes them stagger
The Hebrew verb "תָּעָה" (ta'ah) means to wander or stagger, often used to describe someone who is lost or led astray. This action is attributed to God, emphasizing His sovereignty and the consequences of human pride and rebellion. In the broader scriptural context, God allows people to experience the natural outcomes of their choices, which can lead to a state of confusion and instability. This serves as a reminder of the importance of humility and reliance on God's guidance.

like drunkards
The comparison to drunkards highlights the lack of control and impaired judgment experienced by those who are spiritually blind. In ancient times, drunkenness was not only a physical state but also a metaphor for moral and spiritual decay. The Hebrew word "שִׁכּוֹר" (shikkor) refers to someone who is intoxicated, unable to walk straight or think clearly. This imagery is powerful in illustrating the folly and peril of living apart from God's wisdom, as it leads to a life of chaos and instability.

Verse 25. - They grope in the dark without light (comp. Job 5:14 and Deuteronomy 28:29). And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man; literally, to wander - to pursue a devious course instead of a straight one.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They grope
יְמַֽשְׁשׁוּ־ (yə·maš·šū-)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 4959: To feel of, to grope

in darkness
חֹ֥שֶׁךְ (ḥō·šeḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2822: The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness

with no
וְלֹא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

light;
א֑וֹר (’ō·wr)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 216: Illumination, luminary

He makes them stagger
וַ֝יַּתְעֵ֗ם (way·yaṯ·‘êm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8582: To vacillate, reel, stray

like drunkards.
כַּשִּׁכּֽוֹר׃ (kaš·šik·kō·wr)
Preposition-k, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7910: Intoxicated, as a, state, a habit


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OT Poetry: Job 12:25 They grope in the dark without light (Jb)
Job 12:24
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