Bible Strands
Job 12:5
The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job speaks to his friends during his intense suffering, directly responding to their accusations by contrasting his pain with their untroubled confidence. He addresses them from a position of profound grief while observing their smug security.
The words — The Hebrew שַׁאֲנָ֑ן (sha.'a.Nan) means [one] at ease, and בּ֭וּז (buz) means contempt. The text pairs these to describe how the comfortable dismiss the sudden collapse of others.
The thread — The imagery of slipping feet and fading light appears in Psalms 17:5, Proverbs 13:9, and Matthew 25:8. These passages trace a consistent biblical pattern where stability and illumination belong to the faithful, while sudden collapse marks the unprepared.
Why it lands — The verse demands readers examine their posture toward suffering, rejecting self-satisfaction when observing others' downfall. It requires acknowledging that security is fragile and that misfortune can strike anyone, regardless of perceived standing.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.
Cross-references
- Psalms 17:5 My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.
- Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
- Matthew 25:8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
- Deuteronomy 32:35 Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
- Job 6:5 Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass, or an ox low over its fodder?
- Job 16:4 I could also speak like you if you were in my place; I could heap up words against you and shake my head at you.
- Job 18:5 Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow.
- Psalms 94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,” Your loving devotion, O LORD, supports me.
- Psalms 123:3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt.
- Proverbs 20:20 Whoever curses his father or mother, his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.