Bible Questions and Answers

Can you explain Job 11:12?

Job 11:12 For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.

You are not alone in finding it puzzling. Different English Translations show this to be the case.

Albert Barnes explains the difficulties better than I can:

For vain man - Margin, " empty." according to Gesenius, from the root ‘to bore through’, and then to be hollow; metaphorical, " empty," " foolish." The Septuagint, strangely enough, renders this," but man floats about with words." The Hebrew here means, manifestly, hollow, empty; then insincere and hypocritical. Zophar refers to a hollow-hearted man, who, though he was in fact like a wild ass' s colt, attempted to appear mild and gentle, and to have a heart. The meaning is, that man by nature has a spirit untamed and unsubdued, and that with this, he assumes the appearance of gentleness and tenderness, and attempts to appear as if he was worthy of love and affection. God, seeing this hollow-heartedness, treats him accordingly. The reference here is to men like Job, and Zophar undoubtedly meant to say that he was hollow-hearted and insincere, and yet that he wished to appear to be a man having a heart, or, having true piety.

Would be wise - Various interpretations have been given to this expression. The most simple and obvious seems to be the true one, though I have not seen it noticed by any of the commentators. The word rendered " would be wise" is from a word meaning "heart," and the sense here, as it seems to me, is, "vain, hollow, and insincere, man would wish to have a heart;" that is, would desire to appear sincere, or pious. Destitute of that truly, and false and hollow, he would nevertheless wish to appear different, and would put on the aspect of sincerity and religion. This is the most simple exposition, and this accords with the drift of the passage exactly, and expresses a sentiment which is unquestionably true.

The idea in the passage before us is, that man at his birth has a strong resemblance to a wild and untamed animal; and the passage undoubtedly indicates the early belief of the native proneness of man to wander away from God, and of his possessing by nature an insubmissive spirit."

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,
Glenn