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Job Chapter
Forty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 41
A
large description is here given of the leviathan, from the difficulty and
danger of taking it, from whence it is inferred that none can stand before God,
Job 41:1; from the
several parts of him, his face, teeth, scales, eyes, mouth and neck, flesh and
heart, Job 41:11; and from
various wonderful terrible things said of him, and ascribed to him, Job 41:25.
Job 41:1 “Can
you draw out Leviathan[a] with a
hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
YLT
1Dost thou draw leviathan
with an angle? And with a rope thou lettest down -- his tongue?
Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook?.... That is,
draw it out of the sea or river as anglers draw out smaller fishes with a line
or hook? the question suggests it cannot be done; whether by the
"leviathan" is meant the whale, which was the most generally received
notion; or the crocodile, as Bochart, who has been followed by many; or the
"orca", a large fish of the whale kind with many teeth, as Hasaeus,
it is not easy to say "Leviathan" is a compound word of than the
first syllable of "thanni", rendered either a whale, or a dragon, or
a serpent, and of "levi", which signifies conjunction, from the close
joining of its scales, Job 41:15; the
patriarch Levi had his name from the same word; see Genesis 29:34; and
the name bids fairest for the crocodile, and which is called
"thannin", Ezekiel 29:3. Could
the crocodile be established as the "leviathan", and the behemoth as
the river horse, the transition from the one to the other would appear very
easy; since, as Pliny saysF1Nat. Hist. l. 28. c. 8. , there is a
sort of a kindred between them, being of the same river, the river Nile, and so
may be thought to be better known to Job than the whale; though it is not to be
concealed what Pliny saysF2Ib. l. 32. c. 1. , that whales have been
seen in the Arabian seas; he speaks of one that came into the river of Arabia,
six hundred feet long, and three hundred and sixty broad. There are some things
in the description of this creature that seem to agree best with the crocodile,
and others that suit better with the whale, and some with neither;
or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? into the
river or sea, as anglers do, with lead to it to make it sink below the surface
of the water, and a quill or cork that it may not sink too deep; but this
creature is not to be taken in this manner; and which may be objected to the
crocodile being meant, since that has no tongueF3Diodor. Sicul. l.
1. p. 31. Herodot. Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 68. Solin. c. 45. Plutarch. de Is.
& Osir. Vid. Aristot. de Animal. l. 2. c. 17. & l. 4. c. 11. Plin. Nat.
Hist. l. 11. c. 37. Thevenot, ut supra. (Travels, part 1. c. 72.) Sandys's
Travels, l. 2. p. 78. , or at least so small that it is not seen, and cleaves
close to its lower jaw, which never moves; and is taken with hooks and cords,
as HerodotusF4Ut supra, (Herodot. Euterpe, sive, l. 2.) c. 70. ,
Diodorus SiculusF5Ut supra. (Diodor. Sicul. l. 1. p. 31.) , and Leo
AfricanusF6Descriptio Africae, l. 9. p. 762. See Sandy's Travels, ut
supra, (l. 2.) p. 79. , testify; but not so the whale.
(See
definition for 03882. Editor.)
Job 41:2 2 Can you put a reed through
his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
YLT
2Dost thou put a reed in his
nose? And with a thorn pierce his jaw?
Canst thou put an hook into his nose?.... Or a
rush, that is, a rope made of rushes; for of such ropes were made, as PlinyF7Nat.
Hist. l. 19. c. 2. affirms;
or bore his jaw through with a thorn? as men do
herrings, or such like small fish, for the convenience of carrying them, or
hanging them up to dry; the whale is not to be used in such a manner: but the
Tentyritae, a people in Egypt, great enemies to crocodiles, had methods of
taking thorn in nets, and of binding and bridling them, and carrying them as
they pleasedF8Strabo. Geograph. l. 17. p. 560. Aelian. de Animal. l.
10. c. 21. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 25. .
Job 41:3 3 Will he make many
supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you?
YLT
3Doth he multiply unto thee
supplications? Doth he speak unto thee tender things?
Will he make many supplications unto thee?.... To cease
pursuing him, or to let him go when taken, or to use him well and not take away
his life; no, he is too spirited and stouthearted to ask any favour, it is
below him;
will he speak soft words unto thee? smooth and
flattering ones, for the above purposes? he will not: this is a figurative way
of speaking.
Job 41:4 4 Will he make a covenant
with you? Will you take him as a servant forever?
YLT
4Doth he make a covenant
with thee? Dost thou take him for a servant age-during?
Will he make a covenant with thee?.... To live in
friendship or servitude, as follows;
wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? oblige him to
serve thee for life, or reduce him to perpetual bondage; signifying, that he is
not to be tamed or brought into subjection; which is true of the whale, but not
of the crocodile; for several authorsF9Herodot, ut supra, (Euterpe,
sive, l. 2.) c. 69. Aelian. l. 8. c. 2. & l. 10. c. 21. Solin. c. 45. Plin.
l. 8. c. 46. speak of them as making a sort of a truce with the priests of
Egypt for a certain time, and of their being tamed so as to be handled, and
fed, and brought up in the house.
Job 41:5 5 Will you play with him as with
a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens?
YLT
5Dost thou play with him as
a bird? And dost thou bind him for thy damsels?
Wilt thou play with him as with a bird?.... In the
hand or cage: leviathan plays in the sea, but there is no playing with him by
land, Psalm 104:26;
or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? or young
girls, as Mr. Broughton renders it; tie him in a string, as birds are for
children to play with? Now, though crocodiles are very pernicious to children,
and often make a prey of them when they approach too near the banks of the
Nile, or whenever they have an opportunity of seizing themF11Aelian.
l. 10. c. 21. ; yet there is an instance of the child of an Egyptian woman that
was brought up with one, and used to play with itF12Maxim. Tyr.
Sermon. 38. , though, when grown up, was killed by it; but no such instance can
be given of the whale of any sort.
Job 41:6 6 Will your
companions make a banquet[b] of him? Will
they apportion him among the merchants?
YLT
6(Feast upon him do
companions, They divide him among the merchants!)
Shall thy companions make a banquet of him?.... The
fishermen that join together in catching fish, shall they make a feast for joy at
taking the leviathan? which suggests that he is not to be taken by them, and so
they have no opportunity or occasion for a feast: or will they feed on him? the
flesh of crocodiles is by some eaten, and saidF13Leo Africanus &
Aelian. ut supra. (l. 10. c. 21.) to be very savoury, but not the flesh of the
whale;
shall they part him among the merchants? this seems to
favour the crocodile, which is no part of merchandise, and to be against the
whale, which, at least in our age, occasions a considerable trade for the sake
of the bone and oil: but perhaps, in those times and countries in which Job
lived, the use of them might not be known.
Job 41:7 7 Can you fill his skin with
harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears?
YLT
7Dost thou fill with barbed
irons his skin? And with fish-spears his head?
Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish
spears? This seems not so well to agree with the whale; whose skin, and
the several parts of his body, are to be pierced with harpoons and lances, such
as fishermen use in taking whales; and their flesh to be cut in pieces with
their knives: but better with the crocodile, whose skin is so hard, and so
closely set with scales, that it is impenetrable; See Gill on Ezekiel 29:4. Or if
the words are rendered, as by some, "wilt thou fill ships with his skin?
and the fishermen's boat with his head"F14Vid. Schultens in
loc. ? it makes also against the whale; for this is done continually, ships of
different nations are loaded every year with its skin, flesh, and the bones of
its head.
Job 41:8 8 Lay your hand on him; Remember
the battle—Never do it again!
YLT
8Place on him thy hand,
Remember the battle -- do not add!
Lay thine hand upon him,.... If thou canst or
darest. It is dangerous so to do, either to the whale or crocodile;
remember the battle; or "look for
war", as Mr. Broughton renders it; expect a fight will ensue, in which
thou wilt have no share with this creature:
do no more; if thou canst by any means escape, take care never to do the
like again; or thou wilt never do so any more, thou wilt certainly die for it.
Job 41:9 9 Indeed, any hope of
overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the
sight of him?
YLT
9Lo, the hope of him is
found a liar, Also at his appearance is not one cast down?
Behold, the hope of him is in vain,.... Of getting the
mastery over him, or of taking him; and yet both crocodiles and whales have
been taken; nor is the taking of them to be despaired of; but it seems the
"orca", or the whale with many teeth, has never been taken and killedF15Vid.
Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 4. p. 846. ;
shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? the sight of
a whale is terrible to mariners, lest their ships should be overturned by it;
and some have been so frightened at the sight of a crocodile as to lose their
senses: and we read of one that was greatly terrified at seeing the shadow of
one; and the creature before mentioned is supposed to be much more terribleF16Scheuchzer.
ib. .
Job 41:10 10 No one is so fierce
that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me?
YLT
10None so fierce that he doth
awake him, And who [is] he before Me stationeth himself?
None is so fierce that dare stir him up,.... This
seems best to agree with the crocodile, who frequently lies down and sleeps on
the groundF17Plin. l. 8. c. 25. Solin. c. 45. , and in the water by
nightF18Ammian. Marcellin. l. 22. ; see Ezekiel 29:3; when
it is very dangerous to arouse him; and few, if any so daring, have courage
enough to do it: though whales have been seen lying near shore asleep, and looked
like rocks, even forty of them togetherF19See the North-West Fox, p.
205. ;
who then is able to stand before me? This is the inference
the Lord draws from hence, or the use he makes of it; that if this creature is
so formidable and terrible, that it is dangerous to arouse and provoke him, and
there is no standing before him or against him; then how should anyone be able
to stand before the Lord, who made this creature, whenever he is angry? see Psalm 76:7.
Job 41:11 11 Who has preceded Me, that
I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.
YLT
11Who hath brought before Me
and I repay? Under the whole heavens it [is]
Who hath prevented me, that one should repay him?.... First
given me something that was not my own, and so laid me under an obligation to
him to make a return. The apostle seems to have respect to this passage, Romans 11:35;
whatsoever is under the
whole heaven is mine; the fowls of the air, the cattle on a thousand hills, the
fulness of the earth; gold, silver: precious stones, &c. All things are
made by him, are his property and at his dispose; and therefore no man on earth
can give him what he has not a prior right unto; see Psalm 24:1.
Job 41:12 12 “I will not conceal[c] his limbs,
His mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
YLT
12I do not keep silent
concerning his parts, And the matter of might, And the grace of his arrangement.
I will not conceal his parts,.... The parts of the
leviathan; or "his bars", the members of his body, which are like
bars of iron:
nor his power; which is very great, whether of the
crocodile or the whale:
nor his comely proportion; the symmetry of his
body, and the members of it; which, though large, every part is in just
proportion to each other.
Job 41:13 13 Who can remove his outer
coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle?
YLT
13Who hath uncovered the face
of his clothing? Within his double bridle who doth enter?
Who can discover the face of his garment?.... Or rather
uncover it? Not the sea, which Mr. Broughton represents as the garment of the
whale; who can strip him of it, or take him out of that, and bring him to land?
which, though not impossible, is difficult: but either the garment of his face,
the large bulk or prominence that hangs over his eyes; or rather his skin. Who
dare venture to take off his skin, or flay him alive? or take off the scaly
coat of the crocodile, which is like a coat of mail to him, and which he never
of himself casts off, as serpents do?
or who can come to him
with his double bridle? either go within his jaws, which, when opened, are like a double
bridle; or go near and open his jaws, and put a curb bridle into them, and
lead, direct, and rule him at pleasure. This is not to be done either to the
whale or crocodile; yet the Tentyritae had a way of getting upon the back of
the crocodile; and by putting a stick across its mouth, as it opened it to bite
them, and so holding both the ends of it with the right and left hands, as with
a bridle, brought them to land, as PlinyF19Ut supra. (Plin. l. 8. c.
25.) relates; and so the Nereides are represented as sitting on the backs of
whales by TheocritusF20Idyll. 19. .
Job 41:14 14 Who can open the doors of
his face, With his terrible teeth all around?
YLT
14The doors of his face who
hath opened? Round about his teeth [are] terrible.
Who can open the doors of his face?.... Of his mouth, the
jaws thereof, which are like a pair of folding doors: the jaws of a crocodile
have a prodigious opening. Peter MartyrF21Decad. 5. c. 9. speaks of
one, whose jaws opened seven feet broad; and Leo AfricanusF23Descript.
Africae, l. 9. p. 763. So Sandys's Travels, l. 2. p. 78. Edit. 5. affirms he
saw some, whose jaws, when opened, would hold a whole cow. To the wideness of
the jaws of this creature MartialF24Epigram. l. 3. cp. 64. alludes;
and that the doors or jaws of the mouth of the whale are of a vast extent will
be easily believed by those who suppose that was the fish which swallowed
Jonah;
his teeth are terrible round about; this may seem to make
against the whale, the common whale having none; though the "ceti
dentati" are a sort of whales that have many teeth in the lower jaw, white,
large, solid, and terribleF25Vid. Plin. l. 9. c. 5,6. and Philosoph.
Transact. vol. 3. p. 544. Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 4. p. 848. . Olaus
MagnusF26De Ritu Gent. Septent. l. 21. c. 8. speaks of some that
have jaws twelve or fourteen feet long; and teeth of six, eight, and twelve
feet; and there is a sort called "trumpo", having teeth resembling
those of a millF1Philosoph. Transact. abridged, vol. 2. p. 847,848.
. In the spermaceti whale are rows of fine ivory teeth in each jaw, about five
or six inches longF2Philosoph. Transact. abridged, vol. 7. part 3.
p. 425. . But of the crocodile there is no doubt; which has two rows of teeth,
very sharp and terrible, and to the number of sixtyF3Aelian. l. 10.
c. 21. .
Job 41:15 15 His
rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal;
YLT
15A pride -- strong ones of
shields, Shut up -- a close seal.
His scales are his
pride, shut up together as with a close seal. This is
notoriously true of the crocodile, whose back and tail are covered with scales,
which are in a measure impenetrable and invincible: which all writers
concerning it, and travellers that have seen it, agree in; See Gill on Ezekiel 29:4; but
the skin of the whale is smooth; the outward skin is thin, like parchment, and
is easily pulled off with the hand; and its under skin, though an inch thick,
is never stiff nor tough, but softF4Voyage to Spitzbergen, p. 146,
147, 152. : though, if NearchusF5Apud Arrian. in Indicis. is to be
credited, he reports, that one was seen fifty cubits long, with a scaly skin
all over it a cubit thick; and such, it is said, were by a storm brought into
our river Trent some years ago, and cast ashore, which had scales upon their
backs very hard, as large and thick as one of our shillingsF6Vid.
Wesley's Dissertations on Job, dissert. 38. p. 290. . But Aben Ezra interprets
this of the teeth of the leviathan, and in which he is followed by Hasaeus;
which are strong like a shield, as the words used signify; so Mr. Broughton,
"the
strong shields have pride:'
but
then this is as applicable, or more so, to the scales of the crocodile; which
are so close as if they were sealed together, and are like a shield, its defence,
and in which it prides itself.
Job 41:16 16 One is so near another That
no air can come between them;
YLT
16One unto another they draw
nigh, And air doth not enter between them.
One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. This shows
that it cannot be understood of the skin of the whale, and the hardness and
strength of that, which is alike and of a piece; whereas those scales, or be
they what they may, though closely joined, yet are distinct: those who
interpret this of whales that have teeth, and these of the teeth, observe, that
as they have teeth to the number of forty or fifty in the lower jaw, in the
upper one fire holes or sockets into which they go; and they are so very close
that no wind or air can come between themF7Vid. Scheuchzer. ut
supra. (Physic. Sacr. vol. 4. p. 848.) .
Job 41:17 17 They are joined one to
another, They stick together and cannot be parted.
YLT
17One unto another they
adhere, They stick together and are not separated.
They are joined one to another,.... One scale to
another, or "a man in his brother"F8איש
באחיהו "vir in fratre suo"; Montanus. :
which may seem to favour the notion of the whale's teeth in the sockets, which
exactly answer to one another; but the next clause will by no means agree with them;
they stick together, that they cannot be sundered: whereas they
easily be, at least by the creature itself; but the scales of a crocodile are
so closely joined and sealed together, that there is no parting them.
Job 41:18 18 His sneezings flash forth
light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
YLT
18His sneezings cause light
to shine, And his eyes [are] as the eyelids of the dawn.
By his neesings a light doth shine,.... The philosopherF9Problem.
s. 33. qu. 4. observes, that those who look to the sun are more apt to sneeze:
and it is taken notice of by various writersF11Aelian. l. 3. c. 11.
Leo African. Descriptio African, l. 9. p. 761. Pet. Martyr. Decad. 3. c. 4. ,
that the crocodile delights to be sunning itself, and lying yawning in the sun
and looking at it, as quoted by Bochart; and so frequently sneeze: which
sneezings, through the rays of the sun, may seem to shine and give light.
Though as, in sneezing, water is thrown out through the nostrils, it may be
observed of the whale, that it has mouths or holes in its front, through which,
as through pipes, it throws out showers and floods of water, as PlinyF12Nat.
Hist. l. 9. c. 4,6. relates; which, by means of the rays of the sun, as in a
rainbow, appear bright and glittering;
and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning: the break and
dawn of day; a very beautiful expression, the same we call "peep of
day": PindarF13Olymp. Ode 3. v. 36. has "the eye of the
evening"; break of day, as Ben Gersom says, is about an hour and the fifth
part of an hour before the sunrising. The eyes of the crocodile were, with the
Egyptians, an hieroglyphic of the morningF14Hor. Hiereglyph. apud
Scheuchzer. vol. 4. p. 849. : wherefore this seems better to agree with the
crocodile than the whale, whose eyes are not much bigger than those of a
bullock; and has eyelids and hair like men's eyes; the crystal of the eye is
not much bigger than a peaF15Voyage to Spitzbergen, p. 145. ; its
eyes are placed very low, almost at the end of the upper lip, and when without
its guide, dashes itself against rocks and shoalsF16Aelian. l. 2. c.
13. Plin. l. 9. c. 62. . Though that sort of whales called "orcae"
are said to have eyes a foot long, and of a red rosy colour, such as the
morning is described byF17Hasacus apud Schultens in loc. ; and a
northern writerF18Olaus Magnus de Ritu Gent. Septent. l. 21. c. 5,8.
so Albertus Magnus de Animal. l. 24. c. 1. tells us that some whales have eyes,
whose circumference will admit fifteen or twenty men to sit therein; and in
others it exceeds eight or ten cubits; and that the pupil is a cubit, and of a
red and flaming colour; which, at a distance, in dark seasons, among the waves,
appears to fishermen as fire kindled. And ThevenotF19Travels, ut
supra, (part. 1.) p. 245. says of crocodiles, that their eyes are indifferently
big, and very darkish.
Job 41:19 19 Out of his mouth go
burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out.
YLT
19Out of his mouth do flames
go, sparks of fire escape.
Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap
out. Which, though hyperbolical expressions, have some foundation for
them in the latter; in the vast quantities of water thrown out by the whale,
through its mouth or hole in its frontispiece, which in the sun may look like
lamps and sparks of fire, as before observed; and especially in the
"orcae", or whales with teeth, which eject in the same way an oily
mucus, or the fat liquor of the brain, commonly called spermaceti, which may
appear more bright and glittering. OvidF20"Fulmen ab ore venit;
frondesque adflatibus ardent". Metamorph. c. 8. Fab. 4. says much the same
of the boar as is here said of the leviathan.
Job 41:20 20 Smoke goes out of his
nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
YLT
20Out of his nostrils goeth
forth smoke, As a blown pot and reeds.
Out of his nostrils goeth forth smoke, as out of a seething
pot or caldron. In which flesh or anything else is boiling. It is observed that
there is a likeness between the crocodile and the river horse, and particularly
in their breathingF21Plin. l. 48. c. 8. Aristot. Hist. Animal. l. 8.
c. 2. : and of the former it is remarkedF23Achilles Statius &
Eustathius, apud Scheuchzer: ut supra. (vol. 4. p. 849.) , that its nostrils
are very large and open, and that they breathe out a fiery smoke, as out of a
furnace.
Job 41:21 21 His breath kindles coals, And
a flame goes out of his mouth.
YLT
21His breath setteth coals on
fire, And a flame from his mouth goeth forth.
His breath kindles coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. Hyperbolical
expressions, which the above observations may seem to justify.
Job 41:22 22 Strength dwells in his
neck, And sorrow dances before him.
YLT
22In his neck lodge doth
strength, And before him doth grief exult.
In his neck remaineth strength,.... This is thought to
be an argument against the whale, which is said to have no neck: but whatever
joins the head and body may be called the neck, though ever so small; and the
shorter the neck is, the stronger it is. It is also said by some, that the
crocodile has no neck also; but the philosopherF24Aristot. Hist.
Animal. l. 9. c. 6. & Part. Animal l. 4. c. 11. is express for it, that it
has one and moves it: and PlinyF25Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 25. speaks of
it as turning its head upwards, which it could not do without a neck;
and sorrow is turned into joy before him; or leaps and
dances before him; it departs from him: he is not afraid of anything, though
ever so threatening. Or sorrow and distress at the sight of him, in men and
fishes, make them leap, and hasten to get out of the way of him and escape him.
Job 41:23 23 The folds of his flesh are
joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved.
YLT
23The flakes of his flesh
have adhered -- Firm upon him -- it is not moved.
The flakes of his flesh are joined together,.... The
muscles of his hefty are not flaccid and flabby, but solid and firmly
compacted;
they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved; that is, not
very easily, not without a large sharp cutting knife, and that used with much
strength.
Job 41:24 24 His heart is as hard as
stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone.
YLT
24His heart [is] firm as a
stone, Yea, firm as the lower piece.
Verse 24
His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the
nether millstone. Which must be understood not of the substance but of the
qualities of it, being bold, courageous, undaunted, and unmerciful; which is
true both of the whale and crocodile, and particularly of the crocodile:
AelianusF26De Animal. l. 12. c. 41. relates of one sort of them that
they are unmerciful, though elsewhereF1Ibid. l. 10. c. 24. , he
represents them as fearful.
Job 41:25 25 When he raises himself up,
the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside[d]
themselves.
YLT
25From his rising are the
mighty afraid, From breakings they keep themselves free.
When he raiseth up himself,.... Not out of the
waters, but above the surface of them, so as that his large bulk, his terrible
jaws and teeth, are seem;
the mighty are afraid; not only fishes and
other animals, but men, and these the most stouthearted and courageous, as
mariners and masters of vessels;
by reason of breakings they purify themselves: either
because of the breaches of the sea made through the lifting up of this
creature, threatening the overturning of vessels; or of the breaches of men's
hearts through fear, they are thrown into a vomiting, and purging both by stool
and urine, which are often the effects of fear, so Ben Gersom; or they
acknowledge themselves sinners, or expiate themselves, endeavouring to do it by
making confession of sin, declaring repentance for it, praying for forgiveness
of it, and promising amendment; which is frequently the case of seafaring men
in distress; see Jonah 1:4.
Job 41:26 26 Though
the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.
YLT
26The sword of his overtaker
standeth not, Spear -- dart -- and lance.
The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold,.... It is
either broken by striking at him, or however cannot pierce him and stick in
him; but since a sword is not used in fishery, rather the harpagon or harpoon
may be meant, which cannot enter into the crocodile, being so fenced with
scales; but the whale being struck with it, it enters deep into his flesh, and
is wounded by it; wherefore this and what follows in the next verses seems best
to agree with the crocodile, or some other fish;
the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon; that is,
neither of these can fasten upon him or enter into him: and yet it is certain
that the whale, after he has been struck and wounded by the harping-iron, men
approach nearer to him and thrust a long steeled lance or spear under his gills
into his breast, and through the intestines, which dispatches him: darts are
not made use of in the whale fishery; and as for crocodiles, as Peter Martyr
saysF3Apud Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 5. c. 17. Colossians 785. , they are not to be pierced with darts:
the habergeon, or coat of mail, being a defensive piece of armour, seems not to
be designed, as being never used in taking such creatures; rather therefore a
javelin or hand dart may be intended; since, as Bochart observes, in the Arabic
language such an one is expressed by this word.
Job 41:27 27 He regards iron as straw, And
bronze as rotten wood.
YLT
27He reckoneth iron as straw,
brass as rotten wood.
He esteemeth iron as straw,.... You may as well cast
a straw at him as a bar of iron; it will make no impression on his steeled
back, which is as a coat of mail to him; so Eustathius affirmsF4Apud
ibid. (Bochard. Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 5. c. 17. Colossians
785.) that the sharpest iron is rebounded and blunted by him;
and brass as rotten wood; or steel, any
instrument made of it, though ever so strong or piercing.
Job 41:28 28 The arrow cannot make him
flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him.
YLT
28The son of the bow doth not
cause him to flee, Turned by him into stubble are stones of the sling.
The arrow cannot make him flee,.... The skin of the
crocodile is so hard, as Peter Martyr says, that it cannot be pierced with
arrows, as before observed; therefore it is not afraid of them, nor will flee
from them;
slingstones are turned with him into stubble; are no more
regarded by him than if stubble was cast at him; not only stones out of a
sling, but out of an engine; and such is the hardness of the skin of the
crocodile, that, as Isidore saysF5Origin. l. 12. c. 6. , the strokes
of the strongest stones are rebounded by it, yea, even it is said to withstand
against musket shotF6Mandelsloe in Harris's Voyages, &c. vol. 1.
p. 759. .
Job 41:29 29 Darts are regarded as
straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins.
YLT
29As stubble have darts been
reckoned, And he laugheth at the shaking of a javelin.
Darts are counted as stubble,.... Darts being
mentioned before, perhaps something else is meant here, and, according to Ben
Gersom, the word signifies an engine out of which stones are cast to batter
down walls; but these are of no avail against the leviathan;
he laugheth at the shaking of a spear; at him,
knowing it cannot hurt him; the crocodile, as Thevenot saysF7Travels,
part 1. b. 2. c. 72. p. 245. , is proof against the halberd. The Septuagint
version is, "the shaking of the pyrophorus", or torch bearer; one
that carried a torch before the army, who, when shook, it was a token to begin
the battle; which the leviathan being fearless of laughs at it; See Gill on Obadiah 1:18.
Job 41:30 30 His undersides are
like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire.
YLT
30Under him [are] sharp
points of clay, He spreadeth gold on the mire.
Sharp stones are under him,.... And yet give him no
pain nor uneasiness;
he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire; and makes his
bed of them and lies upon them; as sharp stones, as before, shells of fishes,
broken pieces of darts, arrows, and javelins thrown at him, which fall around
him: this does not so well agree with the crocodile, the skin of whose belly is
soft and thin; wherefore dolphins plunge under it and cut it with a thorn, as
PlinyF8Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 25. relates, or with spiny finsF9Sandys's
Travels, l. 2. p. 78. ; but with the whale, which lies among hard rocks and
sharp stones, and large cutting pieces of ice, as in the northern seas.
Job 41:31 31 He makes the deep boil
like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
YLT
31He causeth to boil as a pot
the deep, The sea he maketh as a pot of ointment.
He maketh the deep to boilF11"Fervetque----aequor".
Virgil. Georgic. l. 1. v. 327. like a pot,.... Which is all in a
from through the violent agitation and motion of the waves, caused by its
tossing and tumbling about; which better suits with the whale than the
crocodile, whose motion in the water is not so vehement;
he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment; this also
seems to make against the crocodile, which is a river fish, and is chiefly in
the Nile. Lakes indeed are sometimes called seas, in which crocodiles are
found; yea, they are also said to be in the seas, Ezekiel 32:2; and
PlinyF12Nat. Hist. l. 32. c. 11. speaks of them as common to the
land, river, and sea; and the Nile is in the AlcoranF13Schultens in
Job, xiv. 11. called the sea, and its ancient name was "Oceames" with
the Egyptians, that is, in Greek, "ocean", as Diodorus SiculusF14Bibliothec.
l. 1. p. 17. affirms; and so it is thought to be the Egyptian sea in Isaiah 11:15. It is
observed that they leave a sweet scent behind them; thus Peter MartyrF15Decad.
3. l. 4. , in his account of the voyages of Columbus in the West Indies, says,
they sometimes met with crocodiles, which, when they fled or took water, they
left a very sweet savour behind them, sweeter than musk or castoreum. But this
does not come up to the expression here of making the sea like a pot of
ointment; but the sperm of the whale comes much nearer to it, which is of a fat
oily nature, and like ointment, and which the whale sometimes throws out in
great abundance, so that the sea is covered with it; whole pails full may be
taken out of the water; it swims upon the sea like fat; abundance of it is seen
in calm weather, so that it makes the sea all foul and slimyF16Voyage
to Spitzbergen, p. 148, 149. : and there are a sort of birds called
"mallemuck", which fly in great numbers and feed upon itF17Vid.
Scheuchzer. ut supra, (vol. 4.) p. 852. & Voyage to Spitzbergen, p. 167. .
I cannot but remark what the bishop of Bergen observesF18Pantoppidan's
History of Norway, part 2. p. 204. of the sea serpent, that its excrements
float on the water in summertime like fat slime.
Job 41:32 32 He leaves a shining wake
behind him; One would think the deep had white hair.
YLT
32After him he causeth a path
to shine, One thinketh the deep to be hoary.
He maketh a path to shine after him,.... Upon the sea, by
raising a white from upon it, through its vehement motion as it passes along,
or by the spermaceti it casts out and leaves behind it. It is saidF19Vid.
Scheuchzer. ibid. (vol. 4.) p. 853. that whales will cut and plough the sea in
such a manner, as to leave a shining glittering path behind them, the length of
a German mile, which is three of ours;
one would think the deep to
be hoary; to be old and grey headed, or white like the hair of the head of
an old man, a figure often used of the sea by poetsF20 πολιης αλος, Homer. Iliad. 1.
v. 350. πολιης θαλασσης, Iliad.
4. v. 248. "incanuit unda", Catullus. ; and hence "Nereus"F21Phurnutus
de Natura Deorum, p. 63. , which is the sea, is said to be an old man, because
the froth in the waves of it looks like white hair.
Job 41:33 33 On earth there is nothing
like him, Which is made without fear.
YLT
33There is not on the earth
his like, That is made without terror.
Upon the earth there is not his like,.... As to
form and figure; in most creatures there is some likeness between those in the
sea and on the land, as sea horses, calves, &c. but there is no likeness
between a whale and any creature on earth; there is between the crocodile and
the lizard; nor is any like the whale for the largeness of its bulk; the Targum
is,
"his
dominion is not on the earth,'
but
on the sea, as Aben Ezra notes; but rather the sense is, there is no power on
earth that he obeys and submits to, as the Tigurine version; though the meaning
seems to be, that there is none like him, for what follows:
who is made without fear; yet this agrees not
neither with the crocodile, which AelianusF23De Animal. l. 10. c.
24. says is fearful; nor with the whale, which will make off and depart at the
shoutings of men, blowing of trumpets, and making use of any tinkling
instruments, at which it is frightened, as StraboF24Geograph. l. 15.
p. 499. , PhilostratusF25Vit. Apollon. l. 3. c. 16. , and Olaus
MagnusF26De Ritu Gent. Septent. l. 21. c. 3,6. , relate. It is
observedF1Voyage to Spitzbergen, p. 153. ; of their valour, that if
they see a man or a long boat, they go under water and run away; and are never
known to endeavour to hurt any man, but when in danger; though a voyagerF2Baffin
in the North-West Fox, p. 150. of our own says,
"we
saw whales in Whale-sound, and lying aloft on the water, not fearing our ships,
or aught else.'
The
Targum is,
"he
is made that he might not be broken;'
or
bruised, as Bochart; as reptiles usually may, among whom the crocodile may be
reckoned, because of its short legs; and yet is made with such a hard scaly
skin, that it cannot be crushed, bruised, and broken. Aben Ezra observes that
some say, the word "hu", that is, "he", is wanting, and
should be supplied, "he", that is, "God, made him without
fear"; or that he might not be bruised; wherefore Cocceius interprets the
following words entirely of God.
Job 41:34 34 He beholds every high thing;
He is king over all the children of pride.”
YLT
34Every high thing he doth
see, He [is] king over all sons of pride.
He beholdeth all high things,.... Or "who
beholdeth all high things"; even he that made leviathan, that is,
God, as the above interpreter: he does that which Job was bid to do, and could
not; beholds everyone that is proud, and abases him, Job 40:11; and therefore
he ought to acknowledge his sovereignty and superiority over him, and submit to
him;
he is a king over all the children of pride: the proud
angels that fell, and all the proud sons of men; proud monarchs and potentates
of the earth, such as Nebuchadnezzar and others, Daniel 4:31. But
interpreters generally understand all this either of the crocodile, or of a
fish of the whale kind. Bochart observes, that the crocodile, though it has
short legs, will behold, and meet unterrified, beasts abundantly taller than
itself, and with one stroke of its tail break their legs and bring them low;
and will destroy not only men, but all sorts of beasts, as elephants, camels,
horses, oxen, boars, and every animal whatsoever. But others apply this to the
whale, which beholds the tossing waves of the sea, which mount up to heaven;
the clouds of heaven on high over it; the lofty cliffs or shores, and ships of
the greatest bulk and height; and which, when it lifts up itself above the
water, equals the high masts of ships, and is abundantly superior to all the
tribes of watery animals, or the beasts of the sea. But this seems not wholly
to come up to the expressions here used. Upon the whole, as there are some
things that agree with the crocodile, and not the whale; and others that agree
with the whale, of one sort or another, and not with the crocodile; it is
uncertain which is meant, and it seems as if neither of them were intended: and
to me very probable is the opinion of Johannes CamerensisF3Apud
Pinedam, in v. 1. , and to which the learned Schultens most inclines, that the
leviathan is the dragon of the land sort, called leviathan, the piercing
serpent, as distinct from the dragon in the sea, Isaiah 27:1; which
agrees with the description of the leviathan in the whole: as its prodigious
size; its terrible countenance; its wide jaws; its three forked tongue; its
three rows of sharp teeth; its being covered all over, back and belly, with
thick scales, not to be penetrated by arrows and darts; its flaming eyes, its
fiery breath, and being most terrible to all, and fearless of every creature;
it will engage with any, and conquer and kill an elephantF4Isidor.
Origin l. 12. c. 4. ; hence in Ethiopia dragons have no other names than
elephant killers: and so it may be said to be king over all the children of
pride; of all which proof may be given from various writers, as PlinyF5Nat.
Hist. l. 8. c. 14. , AelianusF6De Animal. l. 2. c. 21. & l. 10.
c. 48. & l. 15. c. 21. & l. 16. c. 39. , PhilostratusF7Vit.
Apollon. l. 3. c. 2. Vid. Ovid. Metamorph. l. 3. Fab. 1. , and others; and
particularly the dragon Attilius Regulus, the Roman general, killed near
Bagrade in Africa, is a proof itself of almost all the above articles, as
OsoriusF8Hist. l. 4. c. 8. has described it; nor is it any objection
that the leviathan is represented as being in the sea, since the dragon, even
the land dragon, will plunge into rivers, and is often found in lakes called
seas, and in maritime places, and will go into the sea itself, as PlinyF9Nat.
Hist. l. 8. c. 13. and PhilostratusF11Ut supra. (Vit. Apollon. l. 3.
c. 2. Vid. Ovid. Metamorph. l. 3. Fab. 1.) relate. To which may be added, that
this creature was found among the TroglodytesF12Plin. Nat. Hist. l.
8. c. 11, 12. & l. 31. c. 2. who lived near the Red sea, and not far from
Arabia, where Job dwelt, and so might be well known by him: and besides, of all
creatures, it is the most lively emblem of the devil, which all the ancient
Christian writers make leviathan to be; and Satan is expressly called the
dragon in Revelation 12:3. So
SuidasF13In voce δρακων,
& in voce ψελιω.
says, the devil is called a dragon in Job. But be the leviathan what it may, it
certainly is an illustrious instance of the power of God in making it; and
therefore Job and every other man ought to submit to him that made it, in all
things, and be humble under his mighty hand; owning freely, that it is his
right hand, and his only, and not man's, that can save, either in a temporal or
spiritual sense; for which end this and the behemoth are instanced in.
(See
definition for 03882. Editor.)
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)