Job 12:18

“He looseth the bonds of kings, etc.] Not with which they themselves may be bound, being taken prisoners, or being so before made kings, and brought from thence to reign, as in (<210414>Ecclesiastes 4:14); but that which they bind on their subjects, a yoke of bondage, tyranny, and oppression; so that to loose their bond is to loose their subjects from it, and free them from their arbitrary and despotic power, and from the burdens they lay upon them: unless rather it should be understood of loosing their waistbands, as an emblem of their government, ungirding them, or unkinging them, stripping them of their royal power and authority, called a “loosing of their loins”, (<234501>Isaiah 45:1);…”

“He looseth the bond of kings--He looseth the authority of kings--the "bond" with which they bind their subjects (Isa 45:1; Gen 14:4; Dan 2:21). a girdle--the cord, with which they are bound as captives, instead of the royal "girdle" they once wore (Isa 22:21), and the bond they once bound others with. So "gird"--put on one the bonds of a prisoner instead of the ordinary girdle (Joh 21:18).”

“He looseth the bond of kings - The bond of kings (מוּסר mûsâr) here means that by which they bind others. Their power over others he loosens or takes away. And girdeth their loins with a girdle - That is, he girds them with a rope or cord, and leads them away as prisoners. The whole series of remarks here refers to the reverses and changes in the conditions of life. The meaning here is, that the bonds of authority which they imposed on others are unbound, and that their own loins are bound with a girdle, not a girdle of royal dignity and ornament, but such a one as they are bound with who are servants, or who travel. “Pict. Bib.” return to 'Top of Page'”

“Looseth - He freeth them from that wherewith they bind their subjects to obedience, their power and authority, and that majesty which God stamps upon kings, to keep their people in awe. Girdeth - He reduces them to a mean and servile condition; which is thus expressed, because servants did use to gird up their garments (that after the manner of those parts were loose and long) that they might be fitter for attendance upon their masters: he not only deposes them from their thrones, but brings them into slavery. Job 12:20”

“12:18 When God removes the royal robe of kings, he takes away the symbols of their authority (cp. 19:9). It could also be translated as “God loosens the bonds of kings,” referring to the bondage they have imposed on others.”

“Ch2 33:11-14; Jer 52:31-34; Dan 2:21; Rev 19:16 Job 12:19”