Job 39–41

Footnotes

1. 1 The text uses the infinitive as the object: “do you know the giving birth of?”
2. 2 Or “ibex.”
3. 3 Here the infinitive is again a substantive: “the time of their giving birth.”
4. 4 The Hebrew verb used here means “to cleave,” and this would not have the object “their young.” Olshausen and others after him change the ח (khet) to ט (tet) and get a verb “to drop,” meaning “drop [= give birth to] young” as used in Job 21:10. G. R. Driver holds out for the , arguing it is an idiom, “to breach the womb” (“Problems in the Hebrew text of Job,” 3 [1955]: 92–93).
5. 5 Heb “they cast forth their labor pains.” This word usually means “birth pangs” but here can mean what caused the pains (metonymy of effect). This fits better with the parallelism, and the verb (“cast forth”). The words “their offspring” are supplied in the translation for clarity; direct objects were often omitted when clear from the context, although English expects them to be included.
6. 6 The idea is that of the open countryside. The Aramaism is found only here.
7. 7 The animal is happier in open countryside than in a busy town, and on its own rather than being driven by a herdsman.
8. 8 Some commentators think that the addition of the “wild ox” here is a copyist’s error, making the stich too long. They therefore delete it. Also, binding an animal to the furrow with ropes is unusual. So with a slight emendation Kissane came up with “Will you bind him with a halter of cord?” While the is unusual, the sense is understandable, and no changes, even slight ones, are absolutely necessary.
9. 9 Heb “leave.”
10. 10 The word is normally translated “believe” in the Bible. The idea is that of considering something dependable and acting on it. The idea of reliability is found also in the Niphal stem usages.
11. 11 There is a textual problem here: יָשׁוּב (yashuv) is the Kethib, meaning “[that] he will return”; יָשִׁיב (yashiv) is the Qere, meaning “that he will bring in.” This is the preferred reading, since the object follows it. For commentators who think the line too unbalanced for this, the object is moved to the second colon, and the reading “returns” is taken for the first. But the is perfectly clear as it stands.
12. 12 Heb “your seed”; this must be interpreted figuratively for what the seed produces.
13. 13 Heb “gather it”; the referent (the grain) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14. 14 Simply, the has “and your threshing floor gather.” The “threshing floor” has to be an adverbial accusative of place.
15. 15 This whole section on the ostrich is not included in the . Many feel it is an interpolation and should therefore be deleted. The pattern of the chapter changes from the questions being asked to observations being made.
16. 16 The word occurs only here and means “shrill cries.” If the is correct, this is a poetic name for the ostrich (see Lam 4:3).
17. 17 Many proposals have been made here. The has a verb, “exult.” Strahan had “flap joyously,” a rendering followed by the . The uses “wave proudly.”
18. 18 The point of this statement would be that the ostrich cannot compare to the stork. But there are many other proposals for this line—just about every commentator has a different explanation for it. Of the three words here, the first means “pinion,” the third “plumage,” and the second probably “stork,” although the has “heron.” The point of this whole section is that the ostrich is totally lacking in parental care, whereas the stork is characterized by it. The Hebrew word for “stork” is the same word for “love”: חֲסִידָה (khasidah), an interpretation followed by the . The most likely reading is “or are they the pinions and plumage of the stork?” The ostrich may flap about, but cannot fly and does not care for its young.
19. 19 The meaning may have the connotation of “lays; places,” rather than simply abandoning (see M. Dahood, “The Root ’zb II in Job,” 78 [1959]: 307f.).
20. 20 Heb “an animal of the field.”
21. 21 This verb, “to deal harshly; to harden; to treat cruelly,” is used for hardening the heart elsewhere (see Isa 63:17).
22. 22 The colon poses a slight problem here. The literal meaning of the Hebrew verb translated “springs up” (i.e., “lifts herself on high”) might suggest flight. But some of the proposals involve a reading about readying herself to run.
23. 23 The second half of the verse contains this , which is usually connected with the word רַעְמָה (ra’mah, “thunder”). A. B. Davidson thought it referred to the quivering of the neck rather than the mane. Gray thought the sound and not the movement was the point. But without better evidence, a reading that has “quivering mane” may not be far off the mark. But it may be simplest to translate it “mane” and assume that the idea of “quivering” is part of the meaning.
24. 24 The same ideas are found in Joel 2:4. The leaping motion is compared to the galloping of the horse.
25. 25 The word could mean “snorting” as well (see Jer 8:16). It comes from the root “to blow.” If the horse is running and breathing hard, this could be the sense here.
26. 26 The Hebrew text has a plural verb, “they paw.” For consistency and for stylistic reasons this is translated as a singular.
27. 27 The armies would prepare for battles that were usually fought in the valleys, and so the horse was ready to charge. But in Ugaritic the word `mk means “force” as well as “valley.” The idea of “force” would fit the parallelism here well (see M. Dahood, “Value of Ugaritic for textual criticism,” 40 [1959]: 166).
28. 28 Or “in strength.”
29. 29 This may be the scimitar (see G. Molin, “What is a kidon?” 1 [1956]: 334–37).
30. 30 “Swallow the ground” is a metaphor for the horse’s running. Gray renders the line: “quivering and excited he dashes into the fray.”
31. 31 The use of אָמַן (’aman) in the Hiphil in this place is unique. Such a form would normally mean “to believe.” But its basic etymological meaning comes through here. The verb means “to be firm; to be reliable; to be dependable.” The causative here would mean “to make firm” or “to stand firm.”
32. 32 This word occurs only here. It is connected to “pinions” in v. 13. Dhorme suggests “clad with feathers,” but the line suggests more the use of the wings.
33. 33 Heb “your mouth.”
34. 34 Heb “upon the tooth of a rock.”
35. 35 The word could be taken as the predicate, but because of the conjunction it seems to be adding another description of the place of its nest.
36. 36 The word means “search,” but can be used for a wide range of matters, including spying.
37. 37 Heb “food.”
38. 38 The word חֲלָלִים (khalalim) designates someone who is fatally wounded, literally the “pierced one,” meaning anyone or thing that dies a violent death.
39. 1 The form רֹב (rov) is the infinitive absolute from the verb רִיב (riv, “contend”). Dhorme wishes to repoint it to make it the active participle, the “one who argues with the Almighty.”
40. 2 The verb יִסּוֹר (yissor) is found only here, but comes from a common root meaning “to correct; to reprove.” Several suggestions have been made to improve on the . Dhorme read it יָסוּר (yasur) in the sense of “to turn aside; to yield.” Ehrlich read this emendation as “to come to an end.” But the could be read as “to correct; to instruct.”
41. 3 The word קַלֹּתִי (qalloti) means “to be light; to be of small account; to be unimportant.” From this comes the meaning “contemptible,” which in the causative stem would mean “to treat with contempt; to curse.” Dhorme tries to make the sentence a conditional clause and suggests this meaning: “If I have been thoughtless.” There is really no “if” in Job’s mind.
42. 4 The perfect verb here should be classified as an instantaneous perfect; the action is simultaneous with the words.
43. 5 The words “to silence myself” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
44. 6 Heb “I will not add.”
45. 7 The speech can be divided into three parts: the invitation to Job to assume the throne and rule the world (40:7–14), the description of Behemoth (40:15–24), and the description of Leviathan (41:1–34).
46. 8 See note on “task” in .
47. 9 The verb פָּרַר (parar) means “to annul; to break; to frustrate.” It was one thing for Job to claim his own integrity, but it was another matter altogether to nullify God’s righteousness in the process.
48. 10 Heb “do you have an arm like God?” The words “as powerful as” have been supplied in the translation to clarify the metaphor.
49. 11 The verb was used for scattering lightning (Job 37:11). God is challenging Job to unleash his power and judge wickedness in the world.
50. 12 Heb “the overflowings.”
51. 13 The word was just used in the positive sense of excellence or majesty; now the exalted nature of the person refers to self-exaltation, or pride.
52. 14 The expression translated “on the spot” is the prepositional phrase תַּחְתָּם (takhtam, “under them”). “Under them” means in their place. But it can also mean “where someone stands, on the spot” (see Exod 16:29; Jos 6:5; Judg 7:21, etc.).
53. 15 The word “dust” can mean “ground” here, or more likely, “grave.”
54. 16 The verb חָבַשׁ (khavash) means “to bind.” In Arabic the word means “to bind” in the sense of “to imprison,” and that fits here.
55. 17 Heb “their faces.”
56. 18 The word is “secret place,” the place where he is to hide them, i.e., the grave. The text uses the word “secret place” as a metonymy for the grave.
57. 19 The verb is usually translated “praise,” but with the sense of a public declaration or acknowledgment. It is from יָדָה (yadah, in the Hiphil, as here, “give thanks, laud”).
58. 20 The imperfect verb has the nuance of potential imperfect: “can save; is able to save.”
59. 21 The next ten verses are devoted to a portrayal of Behemoth (the name means “beast” in Hebrew). It does not fit any of the present material very well, and so many think the section is a later addition. Its style is more like that of a textbook. Moreover, if the animal is a real animal (the usual suggestion is the hippopotamus), then the location of such an animal is Egypt and not Palestine. Some have identified these creatures Behemoth and Leviathan as mythological creatures (Gunkel, Pope). Others point out that these creatures could have been dinosaurs (P. J. Maarten, , 2:; H. M. Morris, The Remarkable Record of Job, 115–22). Most would say they are real animals, but probably mythologized by the pagans. So the pagan reader would receive an additional impact from this point about God’s sovereignty over all nature.
60. 22 By form the word is the feminine plural of the Hebrew word for “beast.” Here it is an abstract word—a title.
61. 23 Heb “with you.” The meaning could be temporal (“when I made you”)—perhaps a reference to the sixth day of creation (Gen 1:24).
62. 24 In both of these verses הִנֶּה (hinneh, “behold”) has the deictic force (the word is from Greek δείκνυμι, deiknumi, “to show”). It calls attention to something by pointing it out. The expression goes with the sudden look, the raised eye, the pointing hand—“O look!”
63. 25 The verb חָפַץ (khafats) occurs only here. It may have the meaning “to make stiff; to make taut” (Arabic). The and the versions support this with “erects.” But there is another Arabic word that could be cognate, meaning “arch, bend.” This would give the idea of the tail swaying. The other reading seems to make better sense here. However, “stiff” presents a serious problem with the view that the animal is the hippopotamus.
64. 26 Heb “the ways of God.” This may be a reference to Gen 1:24, where the first of the animal creation was the cattle—béhemah (בְּהֵמָה).
65. 27 The literal reading of the is “let the one who made him draw near [with] his sword.” The sword is apparently a reference to the teeth or tusks of the animal, which cut vegetation like a sword. But the idea of a weapon is easier to see, and so the people who favor the mythological background see here a reference to God’s slaying the Beast. There are again many suggestions on how to read the line. The probably has the safest: “He that made him has furnished him with his sword” (the sword being a reference to the sharp tusks with which he can attack).
66. 28 The word בּוּל (bul) probably refers to food. Many take it as an abbreviated form of יְבוּל (yévul, “produce of the field”). The vegetation that is produced on the low hills is what is meant.
67. 29 The suffix is singular, but must refer to the trees’ shade.
68. 30 The word ordinarily means “to oppress.” So many commentators have proposed suitable changes: “overflows” (Beer), “gushes” (Duhm), “swells violently” (Dhorme, from a word that means “be strong”).
69. 31 Or “he remains calm.”
70. 32 The idea would be either (1) catch it while it is watching, or (2) in some way disabling its eyes before the attack. But others change the reading; Ball suggested “with hooks” and this has been adopted by some modern English versions (e.g., ).
71. 33 Ehrlich altered the slightly to get “with thorns,” a view accepted by Driver, Dhorme and Pope.
72. 1 Beginning with 41:1, the verse numbers through 41:9 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (), with 41:1 = 40:25 , 41:2 = 40:26 , etc., through 41:34 = 41:26 . The Hebrew verse numbers in the remainder of the chapter differ from the verse numbers in the English Bible. Beginning with 42:1 the verse numbers in the and are again the same.
73. 2 The verb מָשַׁךְ (mashakh) means “to extract from the water; to fish.” The question here includes the use of a hook to fish the creature out of the water so that its jaws can be tied safely.
74. 3 The verb שָׁקַע (shaqa’) means “to cause to sink,” if it is connected with the word in Amos 8:8 and 9:5. But it may have the sense of “to tie; to bind.” If the rope were put around the tongue and jaw, binding tightly would be the sense.
75. 4 The line asks if the animal, when caught and tied and under control, would keep on begging for mercy. Absolutely not. It is not in the nature of the beast. The construction uses יַרְבֶּה (yarbeh, “[will] he multiply” [= “make numerous”]), with the object, “supplications” i.e., prayers for mercy.
76. 5 The rhetorical question again affirms the opposite. The poem is portraying the creature as powerful and insensitive.
77. 6 Heb “will he cut a covenant.”
78. 7 The imperfect verb serves to express what the covenant pact would cover, namely, “that you take.”
79. 8 The Hebrew verb is שָׂחַק (sakhaq, “to sport; to trifle; to play,” Ps 104:26).
80. 9 The idea may include putting Leviathan on a leash. D. W. Thomas suggested on the basis of an Arabic cognate that it could be rendered “tie him with a string like a young sparrow” ( 14 [1964]: 114ff.).
81. 10 The word חָבַּר (khabbar) is a , but the meaning is “to associate” since it is etymologically related to the verb “to join together.” The idea is that fishermen usually work in companies or groups, and then divide up the catch when they come ashore—which involves bargaining.
82. 11 The word כָּרַה (karah) means “to sell.” With the preposition עַל (’al, “upon”) it has the sense “to bargain over something.”
83. 12 The verb means “to cut up; to divide up” in the sense of selling the dead body (see Exod 21:35). This will be between them and the merchants (כְּנַעֲנִים, kéna’anim).
84. 13 The verse uses two imperatives which can be interpreted in sequence: do this, and then this will happen.
85. 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 .
86. 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).
87. 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.
88. 17 The description is of the animal, not the hunter (or fisherman). Leviathan is so fierce that no one can take him on alone.
89. 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. , ).
90. 19 The verb קָדַם (qadam) means “to come to meet; to come before; to confront” to the face.
91. 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.
92. 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.
93. 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.”
94. 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.
95. 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.
96. 25 Heb “his face.”
97. 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.”
98. 27 Instead of צָר (tsar, “closely”) the has צֹר (tsor, “stone”) to say that the seal was rock hard.
99. 28 The expression “each one … to the next” is literally “one with one.”
100. 29 Heb “a man with his brother.”
101. 30 Heb “the eyelids,” but it represents the early beams of the dawn as the cover of night lifts.
102. 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.
103. 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.
104. 33 This word, דְּאָבָה (dé’avah) is a . But the verbal root means “to languish; to pine.” A related noun talks of dejection and despair in Deut 28:65. So here “despair” as a translation is preferable to “terror.”
105. 34 Heb “fallings.”
106. 35 The last clause says “it cannot be moved.” But this part will function adverbially in the sentence.
107. 36 The description of his heart being “hard” means that he is cruel and fearless. The word for “hard” is the word encountered before for molten or cast metal.
108. 37 This verse has created all kinds of problems for the commentators. The first part is workable: “when he raises himself up, the mighty [the gods] are terrified.” The mythological approach would render אֵלִים (’elim) as “gods.” But the last two words, which could be rendered “at the breaking [crashing, or breakers] they fail,” receive much attention. E. Dhorme (Job, 639) suggests “majesty” for “raising up” and “billows” (גַּלִּים, gallim) for אֵלִים (’elim), and gets a better parallelism: “the billows are afraid of his majesty, and the waves draw back.” But H. H. Rowley (Job [], 263) does not think this is relevant to the context, which is talking about the creature’s defense against attack. The works well for the first part, but the second part need some change; so Rowley adopts “in their dire consternation they are beside themselves.”
109. 38 This is the clearest reading, following A. B. Davidson, Job, 285. The versions took different readings of the construction.
110. 39 The verb קוּם (qum, “stand”) with בְּלִי (béli, “not”) has the sense of “does not hold firm,” or “gives way.”
111. 40 Heb “the son of the bow.”
112. 41 The verb is plural, but since there is no expressed subject it is translated as a passive here.
113. 42 Heb “under him.”
114. 43 Here only the word “sharp” is present, but in passages like Isa 41:15 it is joined with “threshing sledge.” Here and in Amos 1:3 and Isa 28:27 the word stands alone, but represents the “sledge.”
115. 44 The idea is either that the sea is stirred up like the foam from beating the ingredients together, or it is the musk-smell that is the point of comparison.
116. 45 Heb “one who was made.”
117. 46 Heb “the sons of pride.” Dhorme repoints the last word to get “all the wild beasts,” but this misses the point of the verse. This animal looks over every proud creature—but he is king of them all in that department.