| Back to Home Page | Back
to Book Index |
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)