Job 41:9–20
The NET BibleOther versions
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- CSB Christian Standard Bible
- D-R Douay-Rheims Bible
- ESV English Standard Version
- GW GOD’S WORD Translation
- GNB Good News Translation
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- KJV 1900 King James Version
- LSB Legacy Standard Bible
- LEB The Lexham English Bible
- MSG The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language
- NASB95 New American Standard Bible (1995)
- NCV New Century Version
- NIrV New International Reader’s Version (1998)
- NIV New International Version (2011)
- NKJV The New King James Version
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- RSVCE The Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition
- YLT Young’s Literal Translation
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41:9 (41:1)14 See, his expectation is wrong,15
he is laid low even at the sight of it.16
41:10Is it not fierce17 when it is awakened?
Who is he, then, who can stand before it?18
41:11(Who has confronted19 me that I should repay?20
Everything under heaven belongs to me!)21
41:12I will not keep silent about its limbs,
and the extent of its might,
and the grace of its arrangement.22
41:13Who can uncover its outer covering?23
Who can penetrate to the inside of its armor?24
41:14Who can open the doors of its mouth?25
Its teeth all around are fearsome.
41:15Its back26 has rows of shields,
shut up closely27 together as with a seal;
41:16each one is so close to the next28
that no air can come between them.
41:17They lock tightly together, one to the next;29
they cling together and cannot be separated.
41:18Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the red glow30 of dawn.
41:19Out of its mouth go flames,31
sparks of fire shoot forth!
41:20Smoke streams from its nostrils
as from a boiling pot over burning32 rushes.
Footnotes
- 14 Job 41:9 in the English Bible is 41:1 in the Hebrew text (). From here to the end of the chapter the Hebrew verse numbers differ from those in the English Bible, with 41:10 = 41:2 , 41:11 = 41:3 , etc. See also the note on .
- 15 The line is difficult. “His hope [= expectation]” must refer to any assailant who hopes or expects to capture the creature. Because there is no antecedent, Dhorme and others transpose it with the next verse. The point is that the man who thought he was sufficient to confront Leviathan soon finds his hope—his expectation—false (a derivative from the verb כָּזַב [kazab, “lie”] is used for a mirage).
- 16 There is an interrogative particle in this line, which most commentators ignore. But others freely emend the . Gunkel, following the mythological approach, has “his appearance casts down even a god.” Cheyne likewise has: “even divine beings the fear of him brings low” ( 9 [1896/97]: 579). Pope has, “Were not the gods cast down at the sight of him?” There is no need to bring in this mythological element.
- 17 The description is of the animal, not the hunter (or fisherman). Leviathan is so fierce that no one can take him on alone.
- 18 has “before me” and can best be rendered as “Who then is he that can stand before me?” (ESV, , , , ). The following verse (11) favors the since both express the lesson to be learned from Leviathan: If a man cannot stand up to Leviathan, how can he stand up to its creator? The translation above has chosen to read the text as “before him” (cf. , ).
- 19 The verb קָדַם (qadam) means “to come to meet; to come before; to confront” to the face.
- 20 The verse seems an intrusion (and so E. Dhorme, H. H. Rowley, and many others change the pronouns to make it refer to the animal). But what the text is saying is that it is more dangerous to confront God than to confront this animal.
- 21 This line also focuses on the sovereign God rather than Leviathan. H. H. Rowley, however, wants to change לִי־חוּא (li-hu’, “it [belongs] to me”) into לֹא הוּא (lo’ hu’, “there is no one”). So it would say that there is no one under the whole heaven who could challenge Leviathan and live, rather than saying it is more dangerous to challenge God to make him repay.
- 22 Dhorme changes the noun into a verb, “I will tell,” and the last two words into אֵין עֶרֶךְ (’en ’erekh, “there is no comparison”). The result is “I will tell of his incomparable might.”
- 23 Heb “the face of his garment,” referring to the outer garment or covering. Some take it to be the front as opposed to the back.
- 24 The word רֶסֶן (resen) has often been rendered “bridle” (cf. ESV), but that leaves a number of unanswered questions. The reads סִרְיוֹן (siryon), with the transposition of letters, but that means “coat of armor.” If the metathesis stands, there is also support from the cognate Akkadian.
- 25 Heb “his face.”
- 26 The has גַּאֲוָה (ga’avah, “his pride”), but the , Aquila, and the all read גַּוּוֹ (gavvo, “his back”). Almost all the modern English versions follow the variant reading, speaking about “his [or its] back.”
- 27 Instead of צָר (tsar, “closely”) the has צֹר (tsor, “stone”) to say that the seal was rock hard.
- 28 The expression “each one … to the next” is literally “one with one.”
- 29 Heb “a man with his brother.”
- 30 Heb “the eyelids,” but it represents the early beams of the dawn as the cover of night lifts.
- 31 For the animal, the image is that of pent-up breath with water in a hot steam jet coming from its mouth, like a stream of fire in the rays of the sun. The language is hyperbolic, probably to reflect the pagan ideas of the dragon of the deep in a polemical way—they feared it as a fire breathing monster, but in reality it might have been a steamy crocodile.
- 32 The word “burning” is supplied. The and have “a seething and boiling pot” (reading אֹגֵם [’ogem] for אַגְמֹן [’agmon]). This view is widely accepted.
The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press
In other versions
ESVEnglish Standard Version
Behold, the hope of a man is false;
he is laid low even at the sight of him.
No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.
Who then is he who can stand before me?
Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?
Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame.
Who can strip off his outer garment?
Who would come near him with a bridle?
Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth is terror.
His back is made of rows of shields,
shut up closely as with a seal.
One is so near to another
that no air can come between them.
They are joined one to another;
they clasp each other and cannot be separated.
His sneezings flash forth light,
and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.
Out of his mouth go flaming torches;
sparks of fire leap forth.
Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke,
as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles
NIVNew International Version (2011)
Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.
No one is fierce enough to rouse it.
Who then is able to stand against me?
Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me.
“I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,
its strength and its graceful form.
Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
ringed about with fearsome teeth?
Its back has rows of shields
tightly sealed together;
each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
Flames stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
Smoke pours from its nostrils
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.
CSBChristian Standard Bible
Any hope of capturing him proves false.
Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him?
No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan;
who then can stand against me?
Who confronted me, that I should repay him?
Everything under heaven belongs to me.
I cannot be silent about his limbs,
his power, and his graceful proportions.
Who can strip off his outer covering?
Who can penetrate his double layer of armor?
Who can open his jaws,
surrounded by those terrifying teeth?
His pride is in his rows of scales,
closely sealed together.
One scale is so close to another
that no air can pass between them.
They are joined to one another,
so closely connected they cannot be separated.
His snorting flashes with light,
while his eyes are like the rays of dawn.
Flaming torches shoot from his mouth;
fiery sparks fly out!
Smoke billows from his nostrils
as from a boiling pot or burning reeds.
Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
NLTNew Living Translation
No, it is useless to try to capture it.
The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down.
And since no one dares to disturb it,
who then can stand up to me?
Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?
Everything under heaven is mine.
“I want to emphasize Leviathan’s limbs
and its enormous strength and graceful form.
Who can strip off its hide,
and who can penetrate its double layer of armor?
Who could pry open its jaws?
For its teeth are terrible!
The scales on its back are like rows of shields
tightly sealed together.
They are so close together
that no air can get between them.
Each scale sticks tight to the next.
They interlock and cannot be penetrated.
“When it sneezes, it flashes light!
Its eyes are like the red of dawn.
Lightning leaps from its mouth;
flames of fire flash out.
Smoke streams from its nostrils
like steam from a pot heated over burning rushes.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
LEBThe Lexham English Bible
“Look, the hope of capturing it is false.
Will one be hurled down even at its sight?
Is it not fierce when somebody stirs it?
Who then is he who would stand before it?
Who has come to confront me, that I should repay him?
Under all the heavens, it belongs to me.
“I will not keep quiet concerning its limbs
or concerning the extent of its might and the gracefulness of its frame.
Who can strip off its outer covering?
Who can penetrate its double harness?
Who can open the doors of its face?
Its teeth all around are fearsome.
Its back has scales of shields;
it is shut up closely as with a seal.
They are close to one another—
even the air cannot come between them.
They are joined one to another;
they cling together and cannot be separated.
“Its snorting flashes forth light,
and its eyes are red like dawn.
Torches go from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
Smoke comes from its nostrils
as from a kettle boiling and burning bulrushes.
Copyright 2012 Lexham Press
KJV 1900King James Version
Behold, the hope of him is in vain:
Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
None is so fierce that dare stir him up:
Who then is able to stand before me?
Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him?
Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
I will not conceal his parts,
Nor his power, nor his comely proportion.
Who can discover the face of his garment?
Or who can come to him with his double bridle?
Who can open the doors of his face?
His teeth are terrible round about.
His scales are his pride,
Shut up together as with a close seal.
One is so near to another,
That no air can come between them.
They are joined one to another,
They stick together, that they cannot be sundered.
By his neesings a light doth shine,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
Out of his mouth go burning lamps,
And sparks of fire leap out.
Out of his nostrils goeth smoke,
As out of a seething pot or caldron.
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