Job 41

King James Version

Full text for Job Chapter 41

1¶ Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord [which] thou lettest down?

2Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?

3Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft [words] unto thee?

4Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

5Wilt thou play with him as [with] a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

6Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

7Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?

8Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.

9Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not [one] be cast down even at the sight of him?

10None [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.

12I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.

13Who can discover the face of his garment? [or] who can come [to him] with his double bridle?

14Who 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.

16One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

17They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.

18By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes [are] like the eyelids of the morning.

19Out of his mouth go burning lamps, [and] sparks of fire leap out.

20Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as [out] of a seething pot or caldron.

21His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

22In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.

23The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.

24His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether [millstone].

25When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

26The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.

27He esteemeth iron as straw, [and] brass as rotten wood.

28The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.

29Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.

30Sharp stones [are] under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.

31He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

32He maketh a path to shine after him; [one] would think the deep [to be] hoary.

33Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

34He beholdeth all high [things]: he [is] a king over all the children of pride.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

God continues His discourse with Job, challenging him to capture or control Leviathan, a creature of immense power and untameable nature. He describes Leviathan's impenetrable armor, fiery breath, and invulnerability to human weapons, emphasizing that no earthly power can subdue it. This serves to highlight God's own supreme power and sovereignty, as even this formidable creature is His creation.

Medium Summary

In Job 41, God presents the formidable creature Leviathan, challenging Job to consider if he possesses the strength or authority to capture or control it. God details Leviathan's terrifying attributes, including its impenetrable scales, fearsome teeth, and fiery breath that emanates smoke and flame. The creature is depicted as utterly impervious to human weaponry, rendering swords, spears, and arrows as mere stubble against its might. Its presence in the deep causes the waters to boil, leaving a shining path in its wake. God emphasizes that Leviathan is a creature without fear, unparalleled on earth, and reigns as a "king over all the children of pride." This elaborate description ultimately serves to underscore God's own unchallengeable power and dominion over all creation, far surpassing any human capability.

Long Summary

Chapter 41 of Job continues God's profound discourse, focusing entirely on the majestic and terrifying creature known as Leviathan. God challenges Job directly, questioning whether he possesses the ability to capture, tame, or even approach this beast with any human contrivance like hooks or spears. The passage vividly describes Leviathan's untameable nature, asserting that no one is fierce enough to provoke it, let alone stand before it, thus implicitly questioning who then can stand before God Himself. God then proceeds to detail Leviathan's physical characteristics, beginning with its impenetrable scales, which are so tightly joined that no air can pass between them, forming a close seal. Its mouth is described with terrible teeth, and from its nostrils issues smoke like a seething pot, while its breath kindles coals and flames leap forth. Its eyes are likened to the eyelids of the morning, and its neesings emit light. The creature's neck possesses immense strength, and its flesh is firmly joined, making it unmovable, with a heart as hard as stone. When Leviathan raises itself, even the mighty are struck with fear. Human weapons prove utterly ineffective against it; swords, spears, darts, and arrows are dismissed as straw, rotten wood, or stubble. Its movement through the water causes the deep to boil and churn, leaving a luminous path behind it. The chapter concludes by declaring that there is no creature on earth like Leviathan, being made without fear, and it is presented as a "king over all the children of pride," serving as a powerful testament to God's unparalleled creative power and sovereignty over all things.

Core Concepts

  • Untameable PowerLeviathan is presented as a creature beyond human control, incapable of being captured, tamed, or enslaved by any earthly means, highlighting its immense and unyielding strength.
  • Divine SovereigntyGod uses Leviathan's untameable nature to demonstrate His own supreme power and authority over all creation, implying that if humans cannot confront Leviathan, they certainly cannot challenge God.
  • Impenetrable DefenseThe creature's scales are described as an unbreachable armor, so tightly knit that no weapon can penetrate them, rendering all human attempts at attack futile.
  • Fiery Breath and SmokeLeviathan possesses a terrifying ability to emit fire and smoke from its mouth and nostrils, creating a fearsome and destructive presence.
  • Invulnerability to WeaponsHuman armaments such as swords, spears, arrows, and slingstones are depicted as utterly useless against Leviathan, which treats them as mere stubble or straw.
  • Dominion over the DeepLeviathan's movement causes the sea to boil and churn, demonstrating its powerful influence and mastery over its aquatic environment.
  • Symbol of Pride's KingThe chapter concludes by identifying Leviathan as a "king over all the children of pride," suggesting it embodies a pinnacle of untamed, fearless power that stands above all earthly proud beings.