1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?
5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?
7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?
8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.
9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?
11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.
13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.
15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.
16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.
17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.
18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.
20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.
25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.
26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.
29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.
30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.
33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.
1 Canst thou draw out H4900 leviathan H3882 with an hook? H2443 or his tongue H3956 with a cord H2256 which thou lettest down? H8257
2 Canst thou put H7760 an hook H100 into his nose? H639 or bore H5344 his jaw H3895 through with a thorn? H2336
3 Will he make many H7235 supplications H8469 unto thee? will he speak H1696 soft H7390 words unto thee?
4 Will he make H3772 a covenant H1285 with thee? wilt thou take H3947 him for a servant H5650 for ever? H5769
5 Wilt thou play H7832 with him as with a bird? H6833 or wilt thou bind H7194 him for thy maidens? H5291
6 Shall the companions H2271 make a banquet H3739 of him? shall they part H2673 him among the merchants? H3669
7 Canst thou fill H4390 his skin H5785 with barbed irons? H7905 or his head H7218 with fish H1709 spears? H6767
8 Lay H7760 thine hand H3709 upon him, remember H2142 the battle, H4421 do no more. H3254
9 Behold, the hope H8431 of him is in vain: H3576 shall not one be cast down H2904 even at the sight H4758 of him?
10 None is so fierce H393 that dare stir him up: H5782 H5782 who then is able to stand H3320 before H6440 me?
11 Who hath prevented H6923 me, that I should repay H7999 him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven H8064 is mine.
12 I will not conceal H2790 his parts, H907 nor his power, H1369 H1697 nor his comely H2433 proportion. H6187
13 Who can discover H1540 the face H6440 of his garment? H3830 or who can come H935 to him with his double H3718 bridle? H7448
14 Who can open H6605 the doors H1817 of his face? H6440 his teeth H8127 are terrible H367 round about. H5439
15 His scales H4043 H650 are his pride, H1346 shut up together H5462 as with a close H6862 seal. H2368
16 One H259 is so near H5066 to another, H259 that no air H7307 can come H935 between them.
17 They are joined H1692 one H376 to another, H251 they stick together, H3920 that they cannot be sundered. H6504
18 By his neesings H5846 a light H216 doth shine, H1984 and his eyes H5869 are like the eyelids H6079 of the morning. H7837
19 Out of his mouth H6310 go H1980 burning lamps, H3940 and sparks H3590 of fire H784 leap out. H4422
20 Out of his nostrils H5156 goeth H3318 smoke, H6227 as out of a seething H5301 pot H1731 or caldron. H100
21 His breath H5315 kindleth H3857 coals, H1513 and a flame H3851 goeth out H3318 of his mouth. H6310
22 In his neck H6677 remaineth H3885 strength, H5797 and sorrow H1670 is turned into joy H1750 before H6440 him.
23 The flakes H4651 of his flesh H1320 are joined together: H1692 they are firm H3332 in themselves; they cannot be moved. H4131
24 His heart H3820 is as firm H3332 as a stone; H68 yea, as hard H3332 as a piece H6400 of the nether H8482 millstone.
25 When he raiseth up H7613 himself, the mighty H352 are afraid: H1481 by reason of breakings H7667 they purify H2398 themselves.
26 The sword H2719 of him that layeth H5381 at him cannot hold: H6965 the spear, H2595 the dart, H4551 nor the habergeon. H8302
27 He esteemeth H2803 iron H1270 as straw, H8401 and brass H5154 as rotten H7539 wood. H6086
28 The arrow H1121 H7198 cannot make him flee: H1272 slingstones H68 H7050 are turned H2015 with him into stubble. H7179
29 Darts H8455 are counted H2803 as stubble: H7179 he laugheth H7832 at the shaking H7494 of a spear. H3591
30 Sharp H2303 stones H2789 are under him: he spreadeth H7502 sharp pointed things H2742 upon the mire. H2916
31 He maketh the deep H4688 to boil H7570 like a pot: H5518 he maketh H7760 the sea H3220 like a pot of ointment. H4841
32 He maketh a path H5410 to shine H215 after H310 him; one would think H2803 the deep H8415 to be hoary. H7872
33 Upon earth H6083 there is not his like, H4915 who is made H6213 without H1097 fear. H2844
34 He beholdeth H7200 all high H1364 things: he is a king H4428 over all the children H1121 of pride. H7830
1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord?
2 Canst thou put a rope into his nose? Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? Or will he speak soft words unto thee?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee, That thou shouldest take him for a servant for ever?
5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
6 Will the bands `of fishermen' make traffic of him? Will they part him among the merchants?
7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons, Or his head with fish-spears?
8 Lay thy hand upon him; Remember the battle, and do so no more.
9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: Will not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
10 None is so fierce that he dare stir him up; Who then is he that can stand before me?
11 Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him? `Whatsoever is' under the whole heaven is mine.
12 I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, Nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.
13 Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror.
15 `His' strong scales are `his' pride, Shut up together `as with' a close seal.
16 One is so near to another, That no air can come between them.
17 They are joined one to another; They stick together, so that they cannot be sundered.
18 His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning torches, And sparks of fire leap forth.
20 Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, As of a boiling pot and `burning' rushes.
21 His breath kindleth coals, And a flame goeth forth from his mouth.
22 In his neck abideth strength, And terror danceth before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: They are firm upon him; they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone; Yea, firm as the nether millstone.
25 When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid: By reason of consternation they are beside themselves.
26 If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail; Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.
27 He counteth iron as straw, `And' brass as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee: Sling-stones are turned with him into stubble.
29 Clubs are counted as stubble: He laugheth at the rushing of the javelin.
30 His underparts are `like' sharp potsherds: He spreadeth `as it were' a threshing-wain upon the mire.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He maketh a path to shine after him; One would think the deep to be hoary.
33 Upon earth there is not his like, That is made without fear.
34 He beholdeth everything that is high: He is king over all the sons of pride.
1 Dost thou draw leviathan with an angle? And with a rope thou lettest down -- his tongue?
2 Dost thou put a reed in his nose? And with a thorn pierce his jaw?
3 Doth he multiply unto thee supplications? Doth he speak unto thee tender things?
4 Doth he make a covenant with thee? Dost thou take him for a servant age-during?
5 Dost thou play with him as a bird? And dost thou bind him for thy damsels?
6 (Feast upon him do companions, They divide him among the merchants!)
7 Dost thou fill with barbed irons his skin? And with fish-spears his head?
8 Place on him thy hand, Remember the battle -- do not add!
9 Lo, the hope of him is found a liar, Also at his appearance is not one cast down?
10 None so fierce that he doth awake him, And who `is' he before Me stationeth himself?
11 Who hath brought before Me and I repay? Under the whole heavens it `is' mine.
12 I do not keep silent concerning his parts, And the matter of might, And the grace of his arrangement.
13 Who hath uncovered the face of his clothing? Within his double bridle who doth enter?
14 The doors of his face who hath opened? Round about his teeth `are' terrible.
15 A pride -- strong ones of shields, Shut up -- a close seal.
16 One unto another they draw nigh, And air doth not enter between them.
17 One unto another they adhere, They stick together and are not separated.
18 His sneezings cause light to shine, And his eyes `are' as the eyelids of the dawn.
19 Out of his mouth do flames go, sparks of fire escape.
20 Out of his nostrils goeth forth smoke, As a blown pot and reeds.
21 His breath setteth coals on fire, And a flame from his mouth goeth forth.
22 In his neck lodge doth strength, And before him doth grief exult.
23 The flakes of his flesh have adhered -- Firm upon him -- it is not moved.
24 His heart `is' firm as a stone, Yea, firm as the lower piece.
25 From his rising are the mighty afraid, From breakings they keep themselves free.
26 The sword of his overtaker standeth not, Spear -- dart -- and lance.
27 He reckoneth iron as straw, brass as rotten wood.
28 The son of the bow doth not cause him to flee, Turned by him into stubble are stones of the sling.
29 As stubble have darts been reckoned, And he laugheth at the shaking of a javelin.
30 Under him `are' sharp points of clay, He spreadeth gold on the mire.
31 He causeth to boil as a pot the deep, The sea he maketh as a pot of ointment.
32 After him he causeth a path to shine, One thinketh the deep to be hoary.
33 There is not on the earth his like, That is made without terror.
34 Every high thing he doth see, He `is' king over all sons of pride.
1 Wilt thou draw out the leviathan with the hook, and press down his tongue with a cord?
2 Wilt thou put a rush-rope into his nose, and pierce his jaw with a spike?
3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? or will he speak softly unto thee?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him as a bondman for ever?
5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird, and wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
6 Shall partners make traffic of him, will they divide him among merchants?
7 Wilt thou fill his skin with darts, and his head with fish-spears?
8 Lay thy hand upon him; remember the battle, -- do no more!
9 Lo, hope as to him is belied: is not one cast down even at the sight of him?
10 None is so bold as to stir him up; and who is he that will stand before me?
11 Who hath first given to me, that I should repay [him]? [Whatsoever is] under the whole heaven is mine.
12 I will not be silent as to his parts, the story of his power, and the beauty of his structure.
13 Who can uncover the surface of his garment? who can come within his double jaws?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror.
15 The rows of his shields are a pride, shut up together [as with] a close seal.
16 One is so near to another that no air can come between them;
17 They are joined each to its fellow; they stick together, and cannot be sundered.
18 His sneezings flash light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go forth flames; sparks of fire leap out:
20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a boiling pot and cauldron.
21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
22 In his neck lodgeth strength, and terror danceth before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are fused upon him, they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is firm as a stone, yea, firm as the nether [millstone].
25 When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid: they are beside themselves with consternation.
26 If any reach him with a sword, it cannot hold; neither spear, nor dart, nor harpoon.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw, bronze as rotten wood.
28 The arrow will not make him flee; slingstones are turned with him into stubble.
29 Clubs are counted as stubble; he laugheth at the shaking of a javelin.
30 His under parts are sharp potsherds: he spreadeth a threshing-sledge upon the mire.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot; he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment;
32 He maketh the path to shine after him: one would think the deep to be hoary.
33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
34 He beholdeth all high things; he is king over all the proud beasts.
1 "Can you draw out Leviathan{Leviathan is a name for a crocodile or similar creature.} with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord?
2 Can you put a rope into his nose? Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?
3 Will he make many petitions to you? Or will he speak soft words to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with you, That you should take him for a servant forever?
5 Will you play with him as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your girls?
6 Will traders barter for him? Will they part him among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his skin with barbed irons, Or his head with fish-spears?
8 Lay your hand on him. Remember the battle, and do so no more.
9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain. Will not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
10 None is so fierce that he dare stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?
11 Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Everything under the heavens is mine.
12 "I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, Nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame.
13 Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror.
15 Strong scales are his pride, Shut up together with a close seal.
16 One is so near to another, That no air can come between them.
17 They are joined one to another; They stick together, so that they can't be pulled apart.
18 His sneezing flashes forth light, His eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning torches, Sparks of fire leap forth.
20 Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, As of a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.
21 His breath kindles coals. A flame goes forth from his mouth.
22 In his neck there is strength. Terror dances before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm on him. They can't be moved.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone, Yes, firm as the lower millstone.
25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid. They retreat before his thrashing.
26 If one lay at him with the sword, it can't avail; Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft.
27 He counts iron as straw; And brass as rotten wood.
28 The arrow can't make him flee. Sling stones are like chaff to him.
29 Clubs are counted as stubble. He laughs at the rushing of the javelin.
30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds, Leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
31 He makes the deep to boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He makes a path to shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair.
33 On earth there is not his equal, That is made without fear.
34 He sees everything that is high: He is king over all the sons of pride."
1 He is so cruel that no one is ready to go against him. Who then is able to keep his place before me?
2 Who ever went against me, and got the better of me? There is no one under heaven!
3 I will not keep quiet about the parts of his body, or about his power, and the strength of his frame.
4 Who has ever taken off his outer skin? who may come inside his inner coat of iron?
5 Who has made open the doors of his face? Fear is round about his teeth.
6 His back is made of lines of plates, joined tight together, one against the other, like a stamp.
7 One is so near to the other that no air may come between them.
8 They take a grip of one another; they are joined together, so that they may not be parted.
9 His sneezings give out flames, and his eyes are like the eyes of the dawn.
10 Out of his mouth go burning lights, and flames of fire are jumping up.
11 Smoke comes out of his nose, like a pot boiling on the fire.
12 His breath puts fire to coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.
13 Strength is in his neck, and fear goes dancing before him.
14 The plates of his flesh are joined together, fixed, and not to be moved.
15 His heart is as strong as a stone, hard as the lower crushing-stone.
16 When he gets ready for the fight, the strong are overcome with fear.
17 The sword may come near him but is not able to go through him; the spear, or the arrow, or the sharp-pointed iron.
18 Iron is to him as dry grass, and brass as soft wood.
19 The arrow is not able to put him to flight: stones are no more to him than dry stems.
20 A thick stick is no better than a leaf of grass, and he makes sport of the onrush of the spear.
21 Under him are sharp edges of broken pots: as if he was pulling a grain-crushing instrument over the wet earth.
22 The deep is boiling like a pot of spices, and the sea like a perfume-vessel.
23 After him his way is shining, so that the deep seems white.
24 On earth there is not another like him, who is made without fear.
25 Everything which is high goes in fear of him; he is king over all the sons of pride.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Job 41
Commentary on Job 41 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
1 Dost thou draw the crocodile by a hoop-net,
And dost thou sink his tongue into the line?!
2 Canst thou put a rush-ring into his nose,
And pierce his cheeks with a hook?
3 Will he make many supplications to thee,
Or speak flatteries to thee?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee,
To take him as a perpetual slave?
5 Wilt thou play with him as a little bird,
And bind him for thy maidens?
In Job 3:8, לויתן signified the celestial dragon, that causes the eclipses of the sun (according to the Indian mythology, râhu the black serpent, and ketu the red serpent); in Psalms 104:26 it does not denote some great sea-saurian after the kind of the hydrarchus of the primeval world,
(Note: Vid., Grässe, Beiträge , S. 94ff.)
but directly the whale, as in the Talmud (Lewysohn, Zoologie des Talm . §178f.). Elsewhere, however, the crocodile is thus named, and in fact as תּנּין also, another appellation of this natural wonder of Egypt, as an emblem of the mightiness of Pharaoh (vid., on Psalms 74:13.), as once again the crocodile itself is called in Arab. el - fir‛annu . The Old Testament language possesses no proper name for the crocodile; even the Talmudic makes use of קרוקתא = κροκόδειλος (Lewysohn, §271). לויתן is the generic name of twisted, and תנין long-extended monsters. Since the Egyptian name of the crocodile has not been Hebraized, the poet contents himself in תּמשׁך with making a play upon its Egyptian, and in Arab. tmsâḥ , timsâḥ ,
(Note: Herodotus was acquainted with this name ( χάμψαι = κροκόδειλοι ); thus is the crocodile called also in Palestine, where (as Tobler and Joh. Roth have shown) it occurs, especially in the river Damûr near Tantûra .)
Arabized name (Ew. §324, a ). To wit, it is called in Coptic temsah , Hierogl. (without the art .) msuh ( emsuh ), as an animal that creeps “out of the egg ( suh ).”
(Note: Les naturalistes - says Chabas in his Papyr. magique , p. 190 - comptent cinq espèces de crocodiles vivant dans le Nil, mais les hieroglyphes rapportent un plus grand nombre de noms déterminés par le signe du crocodile . Such is really the case, apart from the so-called land crocodile or σκίγκος (Arab. isqanqûr ), the Coptic name of which, hankelf (according to Lauth ha . n . kelf , ruler of the bank), is not as yet indicated on the monuments. Among the many old Egyptian names for the crocodile, Kircher's charuki is, however, not found, which reminds one of the Coptic karus , as κροκόδειλος of κρόκος , for κροκόδειλος is the proper name of the Lacerta viridis (Herod. ii. 69). Lauth is inclined to regard charuki as a fiction of Kircher, as also the name of the phoenix, αλλοη (vid., p. 562). The number of names of the crocodile which remain even without charuki , leads one to infer a great variety of species, and crocodiles, which differ from all living species, have also actually been found in Egyptian tombs; vid., Schmarda, Verbreitung der Thiere , i. 89.)
In Job 41:1 , Ges. and others falsely translate: Canst thou press its tongue down with a cord; השׁקיע does not signify demergere = deprimere , but immergere : canst thou sink its tongue into the line, i.e., make it bite into the hook on the line, and canst thou thus draw it up? Job 41:1 then refers to what must happen in order that the משׁך of the msuh may take place. Herodotus (and after him Aristotle) says, indeed, ii. 68, the crocodile has no tongue; but it has one, only it cannot stretch it out, because the protruding part has grown to the bottom of the mouth, while otherwise the saurians have a long tongue, that can be stretched out to some length. In Job 41:2 the order of thought is the same: for first the Nile fishermen put a ring through the gills or nose of valuable fish; then they draw a cord made of rushes ( σχοῖνον ) through it, in order to put them thus bound into the river. “As a perpetual slave,” Job 41:4 is intended to say: like one of the domestic animals. By צפּור , Job 41:5 , can hardly be meant צפּרת הכּרמים , the little bird of the vineyard, i.e., according to a Talmud. usage of the language, the golden beetle ( Jesurun , p. 222), or a pretty eatable grasshopper (Lewysohn, §374), but, according to the words of Catullus, Passer deliciae meae puellae , the sparrow, Arab. ‛asfûr - an example of a harmless living plaything ( שׂחק בּ , to play with anything, different from Psalms 104:26, where it is not, with Ew., to be translated: to play with it, but: therein).
6 Do fishermen trade with him,
Do they divide him among the Canaanites?
7 Canst thou fill his skin with darts,
And his head with fish-spears?
8 Only lay thy hand upon him
Remember the battle, thou wilt not do it again!
9 Behold, every hope becometh disappointment:
Is not one cast down even at the sight of him?
The fishermen form a guild (Arab. ṣunf , sunf ), the associated members of which are called חבּרים (distinct from חברים ). On כּרה על , vid., on Job 6:27. “When I came to the towns of the coast,” says R. Akiba, b. Rosch ha-Schana, 26 b , ”they called selling, which we call מכירה , כירה , there,” according to which, then, Genesis 50:5 is understood, as by the Syriac; the word is Sanscrito-Semitic, Sanscr. kri , Persic chirı̂den ( Jesurun , p. 178). lxx ἐνσιτούνται , according to 2 Kings 6:23, to which, however, עליו is not suitable. כּנענים are Phoenicians; and then, because they were the merchant race of the ancient world, directly traders or merchants. The meaning of the question is, whether one sells the crocodile among them, perhaps halved, or in general divided up. Further, Job 41:7 : whether one can kill it בּשׂכּות , with pointed missiles (Arab. shauke , a thorn, sting, dart), or with fish-spears ( צלצל , so called from its whizzing, צלל , ףבככב ). In Job 41:8 the accentuation is the right indication: only seize upon him - remember the battle, i.e., thou wilt be obliged to remember it, and thou wilt have no wish to repeat it. זכר .ti t is a so-called imperat. consec.: if thou doest it, thou wilt ... , Ges. §130, 2. תּוסף is the pausal form of תּוסף (once פן͂ףנ , Proverbs 30:6), of which it is the original form.
The suff . of תּוהלתּו refers to the assailant, not objectively to the beast (the hope which he indulges concerning it). נכזבה , Job 41:9, is 3 praet., like נאלמה , Isaiah 53:7 (where also the participial accenting as Milra , occurs in Codd.); Fürst's Concord . treats it as part., but the participial form נקטלה , to be assumed in connection with it, along with נקטלה and נקטלת , does not exist. הגם , Job 41:9 , is, according to the sense, equivalent to הלא גם , vid., on Job 20:4. מראיו (according to Ges., Ew., and Olsh., sing., with the plural suff., without a plur . meaning, which is natural in connection with the primary form מראי ; or what is more probable, from the plur . מראים with a sing . meaning, as פּנים ) refers to the crocodile, and יטּל (according to a more accredited reading, יטּל = יוּטל ) to the hunter to whom it is visible.
What is said in Job 41:6 is perfectly true; although the crocodile was held sacred in some parts of Egypt, in Elephantine and Apollonopolis, on the contrary, it was salted and eaten as food. Moreover, that there is a small species of crocodile, with which children can play, does not militate against Job 41:5. Everywhere here it is the creature in its primitive strength and vigour that is spoken of. But if they also knew how to catch it in very early times, by fastening a bait, perhaps a duck, on a barb with a line attached, and drew the animal to land, where they put an end to its life with a lance-thrust in the neck (Uhlemann, Thoth , S. 241): this was angling on the largest scale, as is not meant in Job 41:1. If, on the other hand, in very early times they harpooned the crocodile, this would certainly be more difficult of reconcilement with v. 31, than that mode of catching it by means of a fishing-hook of the greatest calibre with Job 41:1. But harpooning is generally only of use when the animal can be hit between the neck and head, or in the flank; and it is very questionable whether, in the ancient times, when the race was without doubt of an unmanageable size, that has now died out, the crocodile hunt (Job 7:12) was effected with harpoons. On the whole subject we have too little information for distinguishing between the different periods. So far as the questions of Jehovah have reference to man's relation to the two monsters, they concern the men of the present, and are shaped according to the measure of power which they have attained over nature. The strophe which follows shows what Jehovah intends by these questions.
10 None is so foolhardy that he dare excite him!
And who is it who could stand before Me?
11 Who hath given Me anything first of all, that I must requite it?
Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is Mine.
One sees from these concluding inferences, thus applied, what is the design, in the connection of this second speech of Jehovah, of the reference to behךmoth and leviathan, which somewhat abruptly began in Job 40:15. If even the strength of one of God's creatures admits no thought of being able to attack it, how much more should the greatness of the Creator deter man from all resistance! For no one has any claim on God, so that he should have the right of appearing before Him with a rude challenge. Every creature under heaven is God's; man, therefore, possesses nothing that was not God's property and gift, and he must humbly yield, whether God gives or takes away. לא , Job 41:10 , is not directly equivalent to אין , but the clause is exclamatory. יעורנו Chethîb , יעירנו Kerî , is the Palestine reading, the reverse the Babylonian; the authorized text (chiefly without a Kerî ) is יעוּרנּוּ from עוּר in a transitive signification ( ἐγείρειν ), as שׁוּב , Job 39:12, comp. Job 42:10. The meaning of הקדּימני is determined according to ואשׁלּם : to anticipate, viz., by gifts presented as a person is approaching the giver (Arab. aqdama ). הוּא , Job 41:11 , is neutral, as Job 13:16; Job 15:9; Job 31:11, Job 31:28. תּחת is virtually a subj.: that which is under ... . After these apparently epiphonematic verses (2 and 3), one might now look for Job's answer. But the description of the leviathan is again taken up, and in fact hitherto it was only the invincibility of the animal that was spoken of; and yet it is not so described that this picture might form the exact pendent of the preceding.
12 I will not keep silence about his members,
The proportion of his power and the comeliness of his structure.
13 Who could raise the front of his coat of mail?
Into his double teeth-who cometh therein?
14 The doors of his face-who openeth them?
Round about his teeth is terror.
The Kerמ לו authorized by the Masora assumes an interrogative rendering: as to it, should I be silent about its members ( לו at the head of the clause, as Leviticus 7:7-9; Isaiah 9:2), - what perhaps might appear more poetic to many. החרישׁ (once, Job 11:3, to cause to keep silence) here, as usually: to be silent. בּדּיו , as Job 18:13. דּבר signifies the relation of the matter, a matter of fact, as דּברי , facts, Psalms 65:4; Psalms 105:27; Psalms 145:5. חין (compared by Ew. with הין , a measure) signifies grace, χάρις (as synon. חסד ), here delicate regularity, and is made easy of pronunciation from חנן , just as the more usual חן ; the language has avoided the form חנן , as observed above. לבוּשׁ . clothing, we have translated “coat of mail,” which the Arab. libâs usually signifies; פּני לבוּשׁו is not its face's covering (Schlottm.), which ought to be לבוּשׁ פּניו ; but פּני is the upper or front side turned to the observer (comp. Isaiah 25:7), as Arab. wjh , ( wag'h ), si rem desuper spectes, summa ejus pars, si ex adverso, prima (Fleischer, Glossae , i. 57). That which is the “doubled of its mouth” ( רסן , prop. a bit in the mouth, then the mouth itself) is its upper and lower jaws armed with powerful teeth. The “doors of the face” are the jaws; the jaws are divided back to the ears, the teeth are not covered by lips; the impression of the teeth is therefore the more terrible, which the substantival clause, Job 41:14 (comp. Job 39:20), affirms. שׁנּיו gen. subjecti: the circle, ἓρκος , which is formed by its teeth (Hahn).
15 A pride are the furrows of the shields,
Shut by a rigid seal.
16 One joineth on to the other,
And no air entereth between them.
17 One upon another they are arranged,
They hold fast together, inseparably.
Since the writer uses אפיק both in the signif. robustus , Job 12:12, and canalis , Job 40:18, it is doubtful whether it must be explained robusta ( robora ) scutorum (as e.g., Ges.), or canales scutorum (Hirz., Schlottm., and others). We now prefer the latter, but so that “furrows of the shields” signifies the square shields themselves bounded by these channels; for only thus is the סגוּר , which refers to these shields, considered, each one for itself, suitably attached to what precedes. חותם צר is an acc . of closer definition belonging to it: closed is (each single one) by a firmly attached, and therefore firmly closed, seal. lxx remarkably ὥσπερ σμυρίτης λίθος , i.e., (emery (vid., Krause's Pyrogeteles , 1859, S. 228). Six rows of knotty scales and four scales of the neck cover the upper part of the animal's body, in themselves firm, and attached to one another in almost impenetrable layers, as is described in Job 41:7 in constantly-varying forms of expression (where יגּשׁוּ with Pathach beside Athnach is the correct reading), - a גּאוה , i.e., an equipment of which the animal may be proud. Umbr. takes גאוה , with Bochart, = גּוה , the back; but although in the language much is possible, yet not everything.
18 His sneezing sendeth forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn;
19 Out of his mouth proceed flames,
Sparks of fire escape from him;
20 Out of his nostrils goeth forth smoke
Like a seething pot and caldron;
21 His breath kindleth coals,
And flames go forth out of his mouth.
That the crocodile delights to sun itself on the land, and then turns its open jaws to the sunny side, most Nile travellers since Herodotus have had an opportunity of observing;
(Note: Dieterici, Reisebilder , i. 194: “We very often saw the animal lying in the sand, its jaws wide open and turned towards the warm sunbeams, while little birds, like the slender white water-wagtail, march quietly about in the deadly abyss, and pick out worms from the watery jaws.” Herodotus, ii. 68, tells exactly the same story; as the special friend of the crocodile among little birds, he mentions τὸν τροχῖλον (the sand-piper, Pluvianus Aegyptius ).)
and in connection therewith the reflex action of sneezing may occur, since the light of the sun produces an irritation on the retina, and thence on the vagus; and since the sun shines upon the fine particles of watery slime cast forth in the act of sneezing, a meteoric appearance may be produced. This delicate observation of nature is here compressed into three words; in this concentration of whole, grand thoughts and pictures, we recognise the older poet. עטשׁ is the usual Semitic word for “sneezing” (Synon. זרר 2 Kings 4:35). תּהל shortened from תּהל , Job 31:26, Hiph . of הלל . The comparison of the crocodile's eyes with עפעפּי־שׁחר (as Job 3:9, from עפעף , to move with quick vibrations, to wink, i.e., tremble), or the rendering of the same as εἶδος ἑωσφόρου (lxx), is the more remarkable, as, according to Horus, i. 68, two crocodile's eyes are the hieroglyph
(Note: The eyes of the crocodile alone by themselves are no hieroglyph: how could they have been represented by themselves as crocodile's eyes? But in the Ramesseum and elsewhere the crocodile appears with a head pointing upwards in company with couching lions, and the eyes of the crocodile are rendered specially prominent. Near this group it appears again in a curved position, and quite small, but this time in company with a scorpion which bears a disc of the sun. The former ( κροκοδείλου δύο ὀφθαλμοί ) seems to me to be a figure of the longest night, the latter ( κροκόδειλος κεκυφώς in Horapollo) of the shortest, so that consequently ἀνατολή and δύσις do not refer to the rising and setting of the sun, but to the night as prevailing against or succumbing to the day (communicated by Lauth from his researches on the astronomical monuments). But since the growth of the day begins with the longest night, and vice versâ , the notions ἀνατολή and δύσις can, as it seems to me, retain their most natural signification; and the crocodile's eyes are, notwithstanding, a figure of the light shining forth from the darkness, as the crocodile's tail signifies black darkness (and Egypt as the black land).)
for dawn, ἀνατολή : ἐπειδ́περ (probably to be read ἐπειδὴ πρὸ ) παντὸς σώματος ζώου οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ ἀναφαίνονται . There it is the peculiar brilliancy of the eyes of certain animals that is intended, which is occasioned either by the iris being furnished with a so-called lustrous substance, or there being in the pupil of the eye (as e.g., in the ostrich) that spot which, shining like metal, is called tapetum lucidum . For ἀναφαίνεσθαι of the eyes ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ , is the lustre of the pupil in the depth of the eye. The eyes of the crocodile, which are near together, and slanting, glimmer through the water, when it is only a few feet under water, with a red glow.
Nevertheless the comparison in Job 41:18 might also be intended differently. The inner (third) eyelid
(Note: Prof. Will refers the figure not to the third eyelid or the membrana nictitans , but to that spot on the choroidea , glistening with a metallic lustre, which the crocodile has in common with most animals of the night or the twilight, therefore to the brilliancy of its eye, which shines by virtue of its lustrous coating; vid., the magnificent head of a crocodile in Schlegel's Amphibien-Abbildungen (1837-44).)
of the crocodile is itself a rose red; and therefore, considered in themselves, its eyes may also be compared with the “eyelids of the dawn.” What is then said, Job 41:19, of the crocodile, Achilles Tatius, iv. 2, says of the hippopotamus: μυκτὴρ ἐπὶ μέγα κεχῃνὼς καὶ πνέων πυρώδη καπνὸν ὡς ἀπὸ πηγῆς πυρός . Bartram has observed on the alligator, that as it comes on the land a thick smoke issues from its distended nostrils with a thundering sound. This thick, hot steam, according to the credible description which is presented here, produces the impression of a fire existing beneath, and bursting forth. The subjective truth of this impression is faithfully but poetically reproduced by the poet. On כּידוד (root כד , escudere ). התמלּט signifies no more than to disentangle one's self, here therefore: to fly out in small particles. אגמון , Job 41:19 , is rendered by Saad., Gecat., and others, by qumqum ( קומקום ), a caldron; the modern expositors derive it from אגם = agama , to glow, and understand it of a “heated caldron.” But the word signifies either heat or caldron; the latter signification, however, cannot be linguistically established; one would look for אגּן (Arab. iggâne , a copper Germ. Waschkessel ). The noun אגמון signifies, Job 40:2, the reed σχοῖνος , and in the Jerusalem Talmud, Sota ix. 12, some menial service (comp. Arab. ugum ); Ew. rightly retains the former signification, like a pot blown upon, i.e., fired, heated, and beside it (in combination with it) reeds as fuel, which in themselves, and especially together with the steaming water, produce a thick smoke. The Waw is to be compared to the Arabic Waw concomitantiae (which governs the acc .).
22 Great strength resteth upon his neck,
And despair danceth hence before him.
23 The flanks of his flesh are thickly set,
Fitting tightly to him, immoveable.
24 His heart is firm like stone,
And firm like the nether millstone.
25 The mighty are afraid of his rising up;
From alarm they miss their aim.
Overpowering strength lodges on its neck, i.e., has its abiding place there, and before it despair, prop. melting away, dissolution ( דּאבה from דּאב , Arab. ḏ'b = דּוּב Hiph., Arab. ḍ'b II, to bring into a loose condition, synon. חמס ), dances hence, i.e., spring up and away ( ידוּץ , Arab. jadisu , to run away), i.e., it spreads before it a despondency which produces terror, and deprives of strength. Even the pendulous fleshy parts ( מפּלי ), especially of its belly, hang close together, דבקוּ , i.e., they are not flabby, but fit to it, like a metal casting, without moving, for the skin is very thick and covered with thick scales; and because the digestive apparatus of the animal occupies but little space, and the scales of the back are continued towards the belly, the tender parts appear smaller, narrower, and closer together than in other animals. יצוּק here is not, as Job 27:2; Job 29:6, the fut . of צוּק , but the part . of יצק , as also Job 41:24 : its heart is firm and obdurate, as though it were of cast brass, hard as stone, and in fact as the nether millstone ( פלח from פלח , falacha , to split, crush in pieces), which, because it has to bear the weight and friction of the upper, must be particularly hard. It is not intended of actual stone-like hardness, but only of its indomitable spirit and great tenacity of life: the activity of its heart is not so easily disturbed, and even fatal wounds do not so quickly bring it to a stand. משּׂמו from שׂת = שׂאת = שׂאת ), primary form שׂאתּ , is better understood in the active sense: afraid of its rising, than the passive: of its exaltedness. אילים (according to another reading אלים ) is not, with Ew., to be derived from איל (Arab. ı̂jal ), a ram; but אילים Exodus 15:15; Ezekiel 17:13 (comp. גּירים 2 Chronicles 2:16, נירי 2 Samuel 22:29), אלים Ezekiel 31:11; Ezekiel 32:21, and אוּלים Cheth . 2 Kings 24:15, are only alternating forms and modes of writing of the participial adject., derived from אוּל ( איל ) first of all in the primary form awil (as גּר = gawir ). The signif. assigned to the verb אול : to be thick = fleshy, which is said then to go over into the signif. to be stupid and strong (Ges. Handwörterb .), rests upon a misconception: âla is said of fluids “to become thick,” because they are condensed, since they go back, i.e., sink in or settle (Ges. correctly in Thes.: notio crassitiei a retrocendendo ). The verb âla , ja'ûlu , unites in itself the significations to go backward, to be forward, and to rule; the last two: anteriorem and superiorem esse , probably belong together, and אל signifies, therefore, a possessor of power, who is before and over others. התחטּא , Job 41:25 , has the signif., which does not otherwise occur, to miss the mark (from חטא , Arab. chaṭiya , to miss, opp . Arab. ṣâb , to hit the mark), viz., (which is most natural where אילים is the subject spoken of) since they had designed the slaughter and capture of the monster. שׁברים is intended subjectively, as תּבירא = פּחד Exodus 15:16, Targ. II, and also as the Arab. thubûr , employed more in reference to the mind, can be used of pain.
26 If one reacheth him with the sword-it doth not hold;
Neither spear, nor dart, nor harpoon.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw,
Brass as rotten wood.
28 The son of the bow doth not cause him to flee,
Sling stones are turned to stubble with him.
29 Clubs are counted as stubble,
And he laugheth at the shaking of the spear.
משּׂיגהוּ , which stands first as nom. abs., “one reaching him,” is equivalent to, if one or whoever reaches him, Ew. §357, c , to which בּלי תקוּם , it does not hold fast ( בּלי with v. fin., as Hosea 8:7; Hosea 9:16, Chethîb ), is the conclusion. חרב is instrumental, as Psalms 17:13. מסּע , from נסע , Arab. nz‛ , to move on, hasten on, signifies a missile, as Arab. minz‛a , an arrow, manz‛a , a sling. The Targ. supports this latter signification here ( funda quae projicit lapidem ); but since קלא , the handling, is mentioned separately, the word appears to men missiles in general, or the catapult. In this combination of weapons of attack it is very questionable whether שׁריה is a cognate form of שׁריון ( שׁרין ), a coat of mail; probably it is equivalent to Arab. sirwe ( surwe ), an arrow with a long broad edge (comp. serı̂je , a short, round, as it seems, pear-shaped arrow-head), therefore either a harpoon or a peculiarly formed dart.
(Note: On the various kinds of Egyptian arrows, vid., Klemm. Culturgeschichte , v. 371f.)
“The son of the bow” (and of the אשׁפּה , pharetra ) is the arrow. That the ἁπ. γεγρ. תותח signifies a club (war-club), is supported by the Arab. watacha , to beat. כּידון , in distinction from חנית (a long lance), is a short spear, or rather, since רעשׁ implies a whistling motion, a javelin. Iron the crocodile esteems as תּבן , tibn , chopped straw; sling stones are turned with him into קשׁ . Such is the name here at least, not for stumps of cut stubble that remain standing, but the straw itself, threshed and easily driven before the wind (Job 13:25), which is cut up for provender (Exodus 5:12), generally dried (and for that reason light) stalks (e.g., of grass), or even any remains of plants (e.g., splinters of wood).
(Note: The Egyptio-Arabic usage has here more faithfully preserved the ancient signification of the word (vid., Fleischer, Glossae , p. 37) than the Syro-Arabic; for in Syria cut but still unthreshed corn, whether lying in swaths out in the field and weighted with stones to protect it against the whirlwinds that are frequent about noon, or corn already brought to the threshing-floors but not yet threshed, is called qashsh . - Wetzst.)
The plur . נחשׁבוּ , Job 41:29 , does not seem to be occasioned by תותח being conceived collectively, but by the fact that, instead of saying תותח וכידון , the poet has formed וכידון into a separate clause. Parchon's (and Kimchi's) reading תוחח is founded upon an error.
30 His under parts are the sharpest shards,
He spreadeth a threshing sledge upon the mire.
31 He maketh the deep foam like a caldron,
He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He lighteth up the path behind him,
One taketh the water-flood for hoary hair.
33 Upon earth there is not his equal,
That is created without fear.
34 He looketh upon everything high,
He is the king over every proud beast.
Under it, or, תּחתּיו taken like תּחת , Job 41:11, as a virtual subject (vid., Job 28:5): its under parts are the most pointed or sharpest shards, i.e., it is furnished with exceedingly pointed scales. חדּוּד is the intensive form of חד (Arab. hadı̂d , sharpened = iron, p. 542, note), as חלּוּק , 1 Samuel 17:40, of חלק (smooth),
(Note: In Arabic also this substantival form is intensive, e.g., lebbûn , an exceedingly large kind of tile, dried in the open air, of which farm-yards are built, nearly eight times larger than the common tile, which is called libne ( לבנח ).)
and the combination חדּוּדי חרשׂ (equal the combination חדודי החרשׂים , comp. Job 30:6) is moreover superlative: in the domain of shards standing prominent as sharp ones, as Arab. chairu ummatin , the best people, prop. bon en fait de peuple (Ew. §313, c. Gramm. Arab . §532). lxx ἡ στρωμνὴ αὐτοῦ ὀβελίσκοι ὀξεῖς , by drawing ירפּד to Job 41:30 , and so translating as though it were רפידתו (Arab. rifâde , stratum ). The verb רפד ( rafada ), cogn. רבד , signifies sternere (Job 17:13), and then also culcire ; what is predicated cannot be referred to the belly of the crocodile, the scales of which are smooth, but to the tail with its scales, which more or less strongly protrude, are edged round by a shallow cavity, and therefore are easily and sharply separated when pressed; and the meaning is, that when it presses its under side in the morass, it appears as though a threshing-sledge with its iron teeth had been driven across it.
The pictures in Job 41:31 are true to nature; Bartram, who saw two alligators fighting, says that their rapid passage was marked by the surface of the water as it were boiling. With מצוּלה , a whirlpool, abyss, depth (from צוּל = צלל , to hiss, clash; to whirl, surge), ים alternates; the Nile even in the present day is called bahr (sea) by the Beduins, and also compared, when it overflows its banks, to a sea. The observation that the animal diffuses a strong odour of musk, has perhaps its share in the figure of the pot of ointment (lxx ὥσπερ ἐξάλειπτρον , which Zwingli falsely translates spongia ); a double gland in the tail furnishes the Egyptians and Americans their (pseudo) musk. In Job 41:32 the bright white trail that the crocodile leaves behind it on the surface of the water is intended; in Job 41:32 the figure is expressed which underlies the descriptions of the foaming sea with πολιός , canus , in the classic poets. שׂיבה , hoary hair, was to the ancients the most beautiful, most awe-inspiring whiteness. משׁלו , Job 41:33 , understood by the Targ., Syr., Arab. version, and most moderns (e.g., Hahn: there is not on earth any mastery over it), according to Zechariah 9:10, is certainly, with lxx, Jer., and Umbr., not to be understood differently from the Arab. mithlahu (its equal); whether it be an inflexion of משׁל , or what is more probable, of משׁל (comp. Job 17:6, where this nomen actionis signifies a proverb = word of derision, and התמשּׁל , to compare one's self, be equal, Job 30:19). על־עפר is also Hebr.-Arab.; the Arabic uses turbe , formed from turâb (vid., on Job 19:25), of the surface of the earth, and et - tarbâ - u as the name of the earth itself. העשׂוּ (for העשׂוּי , as צפוּ , Job 15:22, Cheth . = צפוּי , resolved from עשׂוּו , ‛asûw , 1 Samuel 25:18, Cheth .) is the confirmatory predicate of the logical subj. described in Job 41:33 as incomparable; and לבלי־חת (from חת , the a of which becomes i in inflexion), absque terrore (comp. Job 38:4), is virtually a nom. of the predicate: the created one (becomes) a terrorless one (a being that is terrified by nothing). Everything high, as the לבלי־חת , Job 41:33 , is more exactly explained, it looketh upon, i.e., remains standing before it, without turning away affrighted; in short, it (the leviathan) is king over all the sons of pride, i.e., every beast of prey that proudly roams about (vid., on Job 28:8).