Job 9:12
New International Version
If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

New Living Translation
If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him? Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?’

English Standard Version
Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

Berean Standard Bible
If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’

King James Bible
Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?

New King James Version
If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

New American Standard Bible
“If He were to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

NASB 1995
“Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

NASB 1977
“Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, ‘What art Thou doing?’

Legacy Standard Bible
Were He to snatch away, who could turn Him back? Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

Amplified Bible
“Behold, He snatches away; who can restrain or turn Him back? Who will say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

Christian Standard Bible
If he snatches something, who can stop him? Who can ask him, “What are you doing? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If He snatches something, who can stop Him? Who can ask Him, “What are You doing?”

American Standard Version
Behold, he seizeth the prey, who can hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?

Contemporary English Version
And if he grabs something, who can stop him or raise a question?

English Revised Version
Behold, he seizeth the prey, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He takes something away, [but] who can stop him? Who is going to ask him, 'What are you doing?'

Good News Translation
He takes what he wants, and no one can stop him; no one dares ask him, "What are you doing?"

International Standard Version
Indeed, if he snatches someone away, who could restrain him? Who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'

Majority Standard Bible
If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’

NET Bible
If he snatches away, who can turn him back? Who dares to say to him, 'What are you doing?'

New Heart English Bible
Look, he snatches away. Who can hinder him? Who will ask him, 'What are you doing?'

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say to him, What doest thou?

World English Bible
Behold, he snatches away. Who can hinder him? Who will ask him, ‘What are you doing?’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Behold, He snatches away, who brings it back? Who says to Him, What [are] You doing?

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, He snatches away, who bringeth it back? Who saith unto Him, 'What dost Thou?'

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold, he will catch and who shall turn him? and who shall say to him, What wilt thou do?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If he examine on a sudden, who shall answer him? or who can say: Why dost thou so?

Catholic Public Domain Version
If he suddenly should question, who will answer him? Or who can say, “Why did you do so?”

New American Bible
Should he seize me forcibly, who can resist? Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

New Revised Standard Version
He snatches away; who can stop him? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, if he will destroy, who can resist him? Who can say to him, What doest thou?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Behold, if he destroys, who would command with his hand and who will say to him: ‘what are you doing?’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, He snatcheth away, who can hinder Him? Who will say unto Him: 'What doest Thou?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
If he would take away, who shall turn him back? or who shall say to him, What hast thou done?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: How Can I Argue with God?
11Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him. 12If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’ 13God does not restrain His anger; the helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.…

Cross References
Isaiah 45:9
Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?

Daniel 4:35
All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

Romans 9:20-21
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?” / Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?

Isaiah 14:27
The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it back?

Isaiah 43:13
Even from eternity I am He, and none can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”

Ecclesiastes 8:4
For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

Psalm 115:3
Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.

Psalm 135:6
The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.

Isaiah 46:10
I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

Lamentations 3:37
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?

Acts 5:39
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”

Proverbs 21:30
There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.

Isaiah 10:15
Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!

Romans 11:33-34
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! / “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”

1 Corinthians 10:22
Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, he takes away, who can hinder him? who will say to him, What do you?

he taketh

Job 23:13
But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.

Job 34:29
When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:

Daniel 4:35
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

hinder him.

Job 11:10
If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?

What

Job 33:13
Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.

Isaiah 45:9
Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

Jeremiah 18:6
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

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Job 9
1. Job acknowledges God's justice
22. Man's innocence is not to be condemned by afflictions














If He takes away
The phrase "If He takes away" reflects the sovereignty and omnipotence of God. The Hebrew root for "takes away" is "שָׁלַל" (shalal), which conveys the idea of seizing or removing. In the context of Job, this highlights God's ultimate authority over creation and His ability to give and take according to His divine will. Historically, this reflects the ancient Near Eastern understanding of deities as having control over life and death, prosperity and adversity. For the believer, it is a reminder of the need to trust in God's wisdom and purpose, even when His actions are beyond human understanding.

who can stop Him?
This rhetorical question emphasizes the futility of resisting God's will. The Hebrew word "עָצַר" (atsar) means to restrain or hold back. In the biblical narrative, this underscores the theme of God's uncontested power. No human or spiritual force can thwart His plans. This is a call to humility, recognizing that God's purposes are higher than ours, as echoed in Isaiah 55:8-9. It inspires believers to submit to God's will, trusting that His plans are for the ultimate good, even when they are not immediately apparent.

Who dares to ask Him
The phrase "Who dares to ask Him" challenges the audacity of questioning God's actions. The Hebrew root "שָׁאַל" (sha'al) means to inquire or question. In the context of Job, it reflects the human tendency to seek explanations for suffering and injustice. However, it also serves as a reminder of the limitations of human understanding compared to divine wisdom. This encourages believers to approach God with reverence and awe, acknowledging His inscrutable ways and trusting in His righteous character.

‘What are You doing?’
This question, "‘What are You doing?’", captures the human desire for understanding and control. It reflects the struggle to comprehend God's actions, especially in times of suffering. The Hebrew phrase "מַה־תַּעֲשֶׂה" (mah-ta'aseh) directly translates to "what are you doing," indicating a search for purpose and meaning. In the broader scriptural context, it is a call to faith, urging believers to trust in God's sovereign plan. It reassures Christians that, while God's ways may be mysterious, they are always just and good, as affirmed in Romans 8:28. This inspires a posture of faith and surrender, trusting that God is at work even when His actions are beyond our understanding.

(12) What doest thou?--Putting the case even that God were, so to say, in the wrong, and the assailant, yet even then He would maintain His cause from sheer might, and crush His adversary.

Verse 12. - Behold, he taketh away; rather, he seizeth the prey (see the Revised Version). The expression is much stronger than that used in Job 1:21. Job seems to be smarting under the recollection of all that he has lost, and takes an aggrieved tone. Who can hinder him? (comp. Isaiah 45:9; Jeremiah 18:6; Romans 19:20). Who will say unto him, What doest thou? To have to do with such an irresistible Being, alone in his might, would indeed be terrible if, while absolutely powerful, unchecked and uncontrolled from without, he were not also absolutely good, and therefore controlled and checked by a law from within. This, however, Job, in his present mood, does not seem clearly to see.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
הֵ֣ן (hên)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

He snatches away,
יַ֭חְתֹּף (yaḥ·tōp̄)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2862: To seize, snatch away

who
מִ֣י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

can hinder Him?
יְשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ (yə·šî·ḇen·nū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

Who
מִֽי־ (mî-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

can say
יֹאמַ֥ר (yō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to Him,
אֵ֝לָ֗יו (’ê·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

‘What
מַֽה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

are You doing?’
תַּעֲשֶֽׂה׃ (ta·‘ă·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make


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OT Poetry: Job 9:12 Behold he snatches away (Jb)
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