Job 41 God’s kingly power and authority above all the children of pride seen in the leviathan.

Canst thou take him with a hook and a line, as anglers take ordinary fishes? Surely no. Quest. What is this leviathan? Answ. This is granted on all hands, that it is a great and terrible monster, living in the sea or rivers, as behemoth is a land monster.

An hook, Heb. a bulrush, i.e. a hook like a bulrush, with its head hanging down, as is expressed, Isa. 58:5. Into his nose, to hang him up by it for sale, or to carry him home for use, after thou hast drawn him out of the sea or river, of which he spake in the former verse.

Doth he dread thine anger or power? or will he humbly and earnestly beg thy favour, that thou wouldst spare him, and not pursue him, or release him out of prison? It is a metaphor from men in distress and misery, who use these means to them to whose power they are subject.

A covenant, to wit, to do thee faithful service, as the next words explain it. Canst thou bring him into bondage, and force him to serve thee?

As with a bird; as children play with little birds kept in cages, or tied with strings, which they do at their pleasure, and without any fear? For thy maidens; for thy little daughters; which he mentions rather than little sons, because such are most subject to fear.

Thy companions; thy friends or assistants in the taking of him. Make a banquet of him, i.e. feed upon him. Or, for him, i.e. for joy that thou hast taken him.

This may be understood, either, 1. Of the whale. And whereas it is objected that the whales at this day are taken in this manner, and therefore this cannot be understood of them; it may be replied, both that this art and way of taking whales is a late invention, and was not known in Job’s time; and…

Lay thine hand upon him; either, 1. In a familiar and friendly manner, that thou mayst catch him by deceit, when thou canst not do it by force. Or rather, 2. In way of hostility, seize upon him and take him by a strong hand, if thou darest do so.

The hope of him; either, 1. Of the fish, i.e. the hope of taking or conquering him. Or rather, 2. Of the man who laid hands upon him, as hoping to take him by force, but in vain. Shall not; the prefix he being put for halo, as it is ofttimes in the Hebrew text, as Gen. 27:36, 1 Sam. 2:28, Jer.

That dare stir him up, when he sleepeth or is quiet. None dare provoke him to the battle. To stand before me; to contend with me his Creator, as thou, Job, dost, when one of my creatures is too hard for him.

Who hath prevented me, to wit, with offices or service done for me, by which he hath laid the first obligation upon me, for which I am indebted to him? Who can be beforehand with me in kindnesses, since not only the leviathan, but all men, and, as it follows, all things under heaven, are mine, made…

i.e. I will particularly speak of them. Here is a meiosis, as there is Job 14:11, Job 15:18, and oft elsewhere. His parts, Heb. His bars, i.e. the members of his body, which are strong, like bars of iron. His comely proportion, which is more amiable and admirable in so vast a bulk.

Discover, or, uncover, or take off from him. The face of his garment; the upper or outward part of his garment, or the garment itself; the word face being oft redundant, as Gen. 1:2, Gen. 23:3, and oft elsewhere.

The doors of his face, to wit, his mouth. If it be open, none dare enter within it, as he now said; and here he adds, that if it be shut, none dare open it.

He prides and pleaseth himself in his strong and mighty scales. Heb. His strong shields (i.e. scales) are his pride. Or, (as other, both ancient and modern, interpreters render it,) his body, (or his back, as this word is used, Isa.

Which plainly shows that the shields or scales are several; which agrees better to the crocodile than to the whale, whose skin is all one entire piece, unless there were a sort of whales having thick and strong scales, which some have affirmed, but is not yet known and proved.

It is exceeding difficult, and almost impossible by any power of art, to sever them one front another.

By his neesings; which may be understood either, 1. Of any commotion or agitation of the body, like that which is in neezing, as when the whale stirreth himself and casteth or shooteth up great spouts of water into the air by the pipes which God hath planted in his head for this use; which water…

i.e. His breathings and blowings are very hot, or flaming, as the following verses explain this. This also may seem better to agree to the crocodile, which breathes (as Aristotle affirms) like the hippopotamus, of which ancient authors affirm, that his nostrils are very large, and he breathes forth…

Heb. pool. So a great caldron is called, because it sends forth a great smoke, as a pool doth vapours; as in like manner the great brazen laver in the temple is called a sea, for the great quantity of water which it held.

An hyperbolical expression, noting only extraordinary heat.

His neck is exceeding strong. This is meant either 1. Of the whale, who though he hath no neck no more than other fishes have, yet he hath a part in some sort answerable to it, where the head and body are joined together. Or, 2.

The flakes, or parts, which stick out, or hang loose, and are ready to fall from other fishes or creatures. Of his flesh: the word flesh is used of fishes also, as Lev. 11:11, 1 Cor. 15:39. They cannot, without difficulty, be moved, to wit, out of their place, or from the other members of the body.

His heart; either, 1. That part of the body is most firm, and hard, and strong. Or, 2. His courage is invincible; he is void of fear for himself, and of compassion to others, which is oft called hardness of heart.

When he raiseth up himself; showing himself upon the top of the waters. Or, because of his height, or greatness, or majesty; for he is represented as a king, Job 41:31. The mighty; even the stout-hearted mariners or passengers, who use to be above fear. By reason of breakings; either, 1.

That layeth at him; that approacheth to him, and dare strike at him. Cannot hold, Heb. cannot stand, i.e. either, 1. Cannot endure the stroke, but will be broken by it. Or rather, 2.

He neither fears nor feels the blows of the one more than of the other.

The arrow, Heb. the son of the bow; as it is elsewhere called the son of the quiver, Lam. 3:13; the quiver being as it were the mother or womb that bears it, and the bow as the father that begets it, or sendeth it forth.

So far is he from fearing it, and fleeing from it, that he scorns and defies it.

According to this translation the sense is, his skin is so hard and impenetrable, that the sharpest stones are as easy to him as the mire, and make no more impression upon him.

The deep; the deep waters, or the sea, which is called the deep, Ps. 107:24, Jonah 2:3, as it is explained in the next clause. To boil like a pot; to swell, and foam, and froth by his strong and vehement motion, as any liquor doth when it is boiled in a pot.

When he raiseth himself to the top of the waters, he doth as it were plough it up, and make large furrows, and causeth a white froth or foam upon the waters.

Upon earth; either, 1. Strictly so called, as it is distinguished from the sea or rivers. There is no land creature comparable to him for strength and courage. Or, 2. Largely taken. No creature equals him in all points. Or, upon the dust, as the word properly signifies, i.e.

He doth not turn his back upon nor hide his face from the highest and proudest creatures, but looks upon them with a bold and undaunted countenance, as being without any fear of them, as was now said.