Albert Barnes Commentary Job 24:12

"From out of the populous city men groan, And the soul of the wounded crieth out: Yet God regardeth not the folly." — Job 24:12 (ASV)

Men groan from out of the city - The evident meaning of this is that the sorrows caused by oppression were not confined to the deserts and solitary places. These sorrows were not seen only where the wandering freebooter seized upon the traveler, or in the comparatively unfrequented places in the country where the poor were compelled to labor in the wine presses and olive presses of others. Instead, they extended to cities also. Job does not specify in what way this oppression in cities was practiced.

This oppression might occur through the sudden descent of hordes of freebooters upon an unsuspecting city, robbing and murdering the inhabitants before fleeing. Alternatively, it might be by internal oppression, such as that of the rich over the poor, or of masters over their slaves. The idea Job seems to wish to convey is that oppression abounded. The earth was full of violence; it was in every place, in the city and the country. Yet, God did not, in fact, come forward to meet and punish the oppressor as he deserved. Instances of oppression and cruelty would occur frequently enough in all cities to justify everything Job says here, especially in ancient times when cities were under the control of tyrants. The word translated "men" here is מתים (mathîym)—which is not the usual term to denote men.

This word is derived from מוּת (mûth)—"to die." Hence, there may be here the notion of "mortals," or of the "dying," who utter these groans.

And the soul of the wounded cries out - This expression suggests that Job referred to acts of violence committed by robbers. Perhaps the whole description is intended to apply to the sufferings caused by the sudden descent of a band of marauders upon the unsuspecting and slumbering inhabitants of a city.

Yet God lays not folly to them - The word translated "folly," תפלה (tiphlâh), means "folly," and by extension, wickedness. If this reading is to be retained, the passage means that God does not take to heart—that is, does not regard—their folly or wickedness. He allows it to pass without punishing it . However, the same word, by a change of the points, תפלה (t^ephîllâh)—means "prayer." Many have supposed that in this case, it means that God does not regard the prayer or cry of those who are thus oppressed. This, in itself, would make good sense, but the former translation agrees better with the context. Job's object is not to show that God does not regard the cry of the afflicted, but that He does not intervene to punish those who are tyrants and oppressors.