Job 5:13 - He takes the wise in their own craftiness; the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.

Generated Verse: Job 5:13

What does "Job 5:13" mean?


Job 5:13 is a proverb about God's power and wisdom. It means that God can outsmart even the most clever and cunning people, causing their carefully laid plans and schemes to fail spectacularly. Let's break it down:

"He takes the wise in their own craftiness": This part suggests that God can trap wise people using the very intelligence and cunning that they rely on. Their cleverness becomes their downfall. They are so focused on their own plans and manipulations that they become blind to the larger picture and vulnerable to God's intervention. It's like a chess player who becomes so focused on a particular strategy that they miss a simple checkmate.

"the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong": This amplifies the first part. It means the advice and plans of the deceitful are rushed into failure or ruin. "Carried headlong" implies a sudden, uncontrolled, and disastrous downfall. Their cunning and scheming, instead of leading to success, result in swift and complete defeat.

In essence, the verse is saying that human wisdom and trickery are no match for God's power and wisdom. Those who rely solely on their own cleverness, without acknowledging God, are ultimately destined to fail. Their own manipulative nature becomes the instrument of their destruction.

The verse emphasizes the idea that true wisdom comes from God, not from human intellect or scheming. It warns against hubris (excessive pride) and reliance on one's own abilities, and encourages humility and dependence on God's guidance.