1 Canst thou draw out H4900 leviathan H3882 with an hook? H2443 or his tongue H3956 with a cord H2256 which thou lettest down? H8257
2 Canst thou put H7760 an hook H100 into his nose? H639 or bore H5344 his jaw H3895 through with a thorn? H2336
3 Will he make many H7235 supplications H8469 unto thee? will he speak H1696 soft H7390 words unto thee?
4 Will he make H3772 a covenant H1285 with thee? wilt thou take H3947 him for a servant H5650 for ever? H5769
5 Wilt thou play H7832 with him as with a bird? H6833 or wilt thou bind H7194 him for thy maidens? H5291
6 Shall the companions H2271 make a banquet H3739 of him? shall they part H2673 him among the merchants? H3669
7 Canst thou fill H4390 his skin H5785 with barbed irons? H7905 or his head H7218 with fish H1709 spears? H6767
8 Lay H7760 thine hand H3709 upon him, remember H2142 the battle, H4421 do no more. H3254
9 Behold, the hope H8431 of him is in vain: H3576 shall not one be cast down H2904 even at the sight H4758 of him?
10 None is so fierce H393 that dare stir him up: H5782 H5782 who then is able to stand H3320 before H6440 me?
11 Who hath prevented H6923 me, that I should repay H7999 him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven H8064 is mine.
12 I will not conceal H2790 his parts, H907 nor his power, H1369 H1697 nor his comely H2433 proportion. H6187
13 Who can discover H1540 the face H6440 of his garment? H3830 or who can come H935 to him with his double H3718 bridle? H7448
14 Who can open H6605 the doors H1817 of his face? H6440 his teeth H8127 are terrible H367 round about. H5439
15 His scales H4043 H650 are his pride, H1346 shut up together H5462 as with a close H6862 seal. H2368
16 One H259 is so near H5066 to another, H259 that no air H7307 can come H935 between them.
17 They are joined H1692 one H376 to another, H251 they stick together, H3920 that they cannot be sundered. H6504
18 By his neesings H5846 a light H216 doth shine, H1984 and his eyes H5869 are like the eyelids H6079 of the morning. H7837
19 Out of his mouth H6310 go H1980 burning lamps, H3940 and sparks H3590 of fire H784 leap out. H4422
20 Out of his nostrils H5156 goeth H3318 smoke, H6227 as out of a seething H5301 pot H1731 or caldron. H100
21 His breath H5315 kindleth H3857 coals, H1513 and a flame H3851 goeth out H3318 of his mouth. H6310
22 In his neck H6677 remaineth H3885 strength, H5797 and sorrow H1670 is turned into joy H1750 before H6440 him.
23 The flakes H4651 of his flesh H1320 are joined together: H1692 they are firm H3332 in themselves; they cannot be moved. H4131
24 His heart H3820 is as firm H3332 as a stone; H68 yea, as hard H3332 as a piece H6400 of the nether H8482 millstone.
25 When he raiseth up H7613 himself, the mighty H352 are afraid: H1481 by reason of breakings H7667 they purify H2398 themselves.
26 The sword H2719 of him that layeth H5381 at him cannot hold: H6965 the spear, H2595 the dart, H4551 nor the habergeon. H8302
27 He esteemeth H2803 iron H1270 as straw, H8401 and brass H5154 as rotten H7539 wood. H6086
28 The arrow H1121 H7198 cannot make him flee: H1272 slingstones H68 H7050 are turned H2015 with him into stubble. H7179
29 Darts H8455 are counted H2803 as stubble: H7179 he laugheth H7832 at the shaking H7494 of a spear. H3591
30 Sharp H2303 stones H2789 are under him: he spreadeth H7502 sharp pointed things H2742 upon the mire. H2916
31 He maketh the deep H4688 to boil H7570 like a pot: H5518 he maketh H7760 the sea H3220 like a pot of ointment. H4841
32 He maketh a path H5410 to shine H215 after H310 him; one would think H2803 the deep H8415 to be hoary. H7872
33 Upon earth H6083 there is not his like, H4915 who is made H6213 without H1097 fear. H2844
34 He beholdeth H7200 all high H1364 things: he is a king H4428 over all the children H1121 of pride. H7830
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Job 41
Commentary on Job 41 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 41
Job 41:1-34.
1. leviathan—literally, "the twisted animal," gathering itself in folds: a synonym to the Thannin (Job 3:8, Margin; see Ps 74:14; type of the Egyptian tyrant; Ps 104:26; Isa 27:1; the Babylon tyrant). A poetical generalization for all cetacean, serpentine, and saurian monsters (see on Job 40:15, hence all the description applies to no one animal); especially the crocodile; which is naturally described after the river horse, as both are found in the Nile.
tongue … lettest down?—The crocodile has no tongue, or a very small one cleaving to the lower jaw. But as in fishing the tongue of the fish draws the baited hook to it, God asks, Canst thou in like manner take leviathan?
2. hook—rather, "a rope of rushes."
thorn—rather, a "ring" or "hook." So wild beasts were led about when caught (Isa 37:29; Eze 29:4); fishes also were secured thus and thrown into the water to keep them alive.
3. soft words—that thou mayest spare his life. No: he is untamable.
4. Can he be tamed for domestic use (so Job 39:10-12)?
5. a bird?—that is, tamed.
6. Rather, "partners" (namely, in fishing).
make a banquet—The parallelism rather supports Umbreit, "Do partners (in trade) desire to purchase him?" So the Hebrew (De 2:6).
merchants—literally, "Canaanites," who were great merchants (Ho 12:7, Margin).
7. His hide is not penetrable, as that of fishes.
8. If thou lay … thou wilt have reason ever to remember … and thou wilt never try it again.
9. the hope—of taking him.
cast down—with fear "at the (mere) sight of him."
10. fierce—courageous. If a man dare attack one of My creatures (Ge 49:9; Nu 24:9), who will dare (as Job has wished) oppose himself (Ps 2:2) to Me, the Creator? This is the main drift of the description of leviathan.
11. prevented—done Me a favor first: anticipated Me with service (Ps 21:3). None can call Me to account ("stand before Me," Job 41:10) as unjust, because I have withdrawn favors from him (as in Job's case): for none has laid Me under a prior obligation by conferring on Me something which was not already My own. What can man give to Him who possesses all, including man himself? Man cannot constrain the creature to be his "servant" (Job 41:4), much less the Creator.
12. I will not conceal—a resumption of the description broken off by the digression, which formed an agreeable change.
his power—literally, "the way," that is, true proportion or expression of his strength (so Hebrew, De 19:4).
comely proportion—literally, "the comeliness of his structure" (his apparatus: so "suit of apparel" Jud 17:10) [Maurer]. Umbreit translates, "his armor." But that follows after.
13. discover—rather, "uncover the surface" of his garment (skin, Job 10:11): strip off the hard outer coat with which the inner skin is covered.
with—rather, "within his double jaws"; literally, "bridle"; hence that into which the bridle is put, the double row of teeth; but "bridle" is used to imply that none dare put his hand in to insert a bridle where in other animals it is placed (Job 41:4; 39:10).
14. doors of … face—his mouth. His teeth are sixty in number, larger in proportion than his body, some standing out, some serrated, fitting into each other like a comb [Bochart].
15. Rather, his "furrows of shields" (as "tubes," "channels," see on Job 40:18), are, &c., that is, the rows of scales, like shields covering him: he has seventeen such rows.
shut up—firmly closed together. A musket ball cannot penetrate him, save in the eye, throat, and belly.
18. Translate: "his sneezing, causeth a light to shine." Amphibious animals, emerging after having long held their breath under water, respire by violently expelling the breath like one sneezing: in the effort the eyes which are usually directed towards the sun, seem to flash fire; or it is the expelled breath that, in the sun, seems to emit light.
eyelids of morning—The Egyptian hieroglyphics paint the eyes of the crocodile as the symbol for morning, because the eyes appear the first thing, before the whole body emerges from the deep [Horæ Hierogliphicæ 1.65. Bochart].
19. burning lamps—"torches"; namely, in respiring (Job 41:18), seem to go out.
20. seething—boiling: literally, "blown under," under which a fire is blown.
21. kindleth coals—poetical imagery (Ps 18:8).
22. remaineth—abideth permanently. His chief strength is in the neck.
sorrow—anxiety or dismay personified.
is turned into joy—rather, "danceth," "exulteth"; wherever he goes, he spreads terror "before him."
23. flakes—rather, "dewlaps"; that which falls down (Margin). They are "joined" fast and firm, together, not hanging loose, as in the ox.
are firm—Umbreit and Maurer, "are spread."
in themselves—rather, "upon him."
24. heart—"In large beasts which are less acute in feeling, there is great firmness of the heart, and slower motion" [Bochart]. The nether millstone, on which the upper turns, is especially hard.
25. he—the crocodile; a type of the awe which the Creator inspires when He rises in wrath.
breakings—namely, of the mind, that is, terror.
purify themselves—rather, "they wander from the way," that is, flee away bewildered [Maurer and Umbreit].
26. cannot hold—on his hard skin.
habergeon—coat of mail; avail must be taken by zeugma out of "hold," as the verb in the second clause: "hold" cannot apply to the "coat of mail."
27. iron … brass—namely, weapons.
28. arrow—literally, "son of the bow"; Oriental imagery (La 3:13; Margin).
stubble—Arrows produce no more effect than it would to throw stubble at him.
29. Darts—rather, "clubs"; darts have been already mentioned (Job 41:26).
30. stones—rather, "potsherds," that is, the sharp and pointed scales on the belly, like broken pieces of pottery.
sharp-pointed things—rather, "a threshing instrument," but not on the fruits of the earth, but "on the mire"; irony. When he lies on the mire, he leaves the marks of his scales so imprinted on it, that one might fancy a threshing instrument with its sharp teeth had been drawn over it (Isa 28:27).
31. Whenever he moves.
sea—the Nile (Isa 19:5; Na 3:8).
pot of ointment—the vessel in which it is mixed. Appropriate to the crocodile, which emits a musky smell.
32. path—the foam on his track.
hoary—as hair of the aged.
33. who—being one who, &c.
34. beholdeth—as their superior.
children of pride—the proud and fierce beasts. So Job 28:8; Hebrew, "sons of pride." To humble the pride of man and to teach implicit submission, is the aim of Jehovah's speech and of the book; therefore with this as to leviathan, the type of God in His lordship over creation, He closes.