Can You Capture Leviathan?
Study note
God asks Job: can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook? Can you put a rope through its nose? Will it beg for mercy or speak softly to you? Will it make an agreement with you? Can you make a pet of it? No one is fierce enough to provoke it. Then God makes the key point: if no one dares stand before Leviathan, who then can stand before God himself? Everything under heaven belongs to him.
1 'Can you hook Leviathan with a fishing line? Can you pin down its tongue with a rope?' Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
2 'Can you thread a cord through its nose? Can you punch a hook through its jaw?' Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
3 'Do you think it will beg you for mercy over and over? Will it try to sweet-talk you with gentle words?' Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
4 'Will it sign a contract agreeing to be your servant for life?' Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?
5 'Can you put it on a leash and make a pet out of it, like a bird for your daughters to play with?' Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
6 'Will merchants line up to bid on it? Will they chop it up and divide it among the shops?' Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?
7 'Can you puncture its thick hide with harpoons? Can you spear its head with fishing spears?' Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?
8 'Try laying a hand on it once -- you will never forget that fight, and you will certainly never try it again!' Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.
9 'Any dream of capturing it is pure fantasy. One look at it is enough to flatten a person.' Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
10 'Nobody is bold enough to provoke this creature. So who, then, could possibly stand up against me?' None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?
11 'Who has ever given me something first that I owe them anything in return? Everything under the entire sky already belongs to me.' Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
Leviathan's Terrifying Body
Study note
God describes Leviathan in detail. Its limbs are powerful and its form is graceful. Who can strip off its outer coat or penetrate its double armor? Its teeth are terrifying. Its scales are its pride, sealed together so tightly that no air can pass between them. Its sneezes flash with light. Fire pours from its mouth. Smoke streams from its nostrils. Its neck is powerful. Even the mighty are terrified when it rises up.
12 'I want to describe its body -- its powerful limbs, its strength, and its impressive form.' I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.
13 'Who can peel off its outer armor? Who can get past its double layer of protection?' Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?
14 'Who would dare pry open its jaws? Its teeth are terrifying.' Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.
15 'Its back is covered with rows and rows of shields, fitted together tight as a seal.' His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.
16 'They are packed so close together that not even a puff of air can slip between them.' One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.
17 'Each one is locked onto the next. They stick together so tightly that nothing can pull them apart.' They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.
18 'When it sneezes, light flashes out. Its eyes glow like the first red rays of sunrise.' By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 'Streams of fire pour from its mouth. Bright sparks go flying out.' Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.
20 'Smoke pours from its nostrils like steam rising from a boiling pot over a fire.' Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
21 'Its breath is hot enough to light coals on fire. Flames shoot right out of its mouth.' His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
22 'Incredible strength lives in its neck, and pure terror goes running ahead of it.' In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
23 'The folds of its flesh are packed tight against each other. They are solid and impossible to move.' The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.
24 'Its chest is as hard as a rock -- as hard as the bottom millstone used for grinding.' His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.
25 'When it rears up, even the mightiest warriors are terrified. They stumble backward in panic at its thrashing.' When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.
Nothing on Earth Is Its Equal
Study note
No sword, spear, dart, or javelin can harm Leviathan. It treats iron like straw and bronze like rotten wood. Arrows cannot make it flee. It makes the deep sea boil like a pot and leaves a shining wake behind it. Nothing on earth is its equal -- a creature without fear. It looks down on everything that is proud. It is king over all creatures of pride. God's message is clear: the Creator of such a creature is infinitely greater than any of his creations.
26 'No sword that touches it can do a thing. No spear, no dart, no javelin can make a dent.' The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
27 'To this creature, iron is nothing more than straw and bronze is nothing more than rotting wood.' He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
28 'Arrows cannot make it run. Stones from a sling bounce off it like bits of straw.' The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.
29 'A heavy club feels like a twig to it. It laughs when someone shakes a spear in its direction.' Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.
30 'Its belly is covered in jagged edges like broken pieces of pottery. It drags through the mud and leaves a trail like a threshing sledge.' Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.
31 'It churns the deep sea until it boils like a pot. It stirs the ocean into a frothy mess.' He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 'A glowing trail stretches out behind it. You would think the deep water had turned white as snow.' He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.
33 'There is nothing on this earth that can match it -- a creature that was made to live without any fear.' Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
34 'It stares down everything that is proud. It is king over every proud creature that walks the earth.' He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.