Job 40:3-24

3 Then Job answered the LORD and said,

4 "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I ¹lay my hand on my mouth.

5 "Once I have spoken, and ²I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more."

God Questions Job

6 Then the ³LORD answered Job out of the storm and said,

7 "Now ⁴gird up your loins like a man; I will ⁵ask you, and you instruct Me.

8 "Will you really ⁶annul My judgment? Will you ⁷condemn Me ⁸that you may be justified?

9 "Or do you have an arm like God, And can you ⁹thunder with a voice like His?

10 "¹⁰Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity, And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.

11 "Pour out ¹¹the overflowings of your anger, And look on everyone who is ¹²proud, and make him low.

12 "Look on everyone who is proud, and ¹³humble him, And ¹⁴tread down the wicked where they stand.

13 "¹⁵Hide them in the dust together; Bind them in the hidden place.

14 "Then I will also confess to you, That your own right hand can save you.

God's Power Shown in Creatures

15 "Behold now, Behemoth, which ¹⁶I made as well as you; He eats grass like an ox.

16 "Behold now, his strength in his loins And his power in the muscles of his belly.

17 "He bends his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are knit together.

18 "His bones are tubes of bronze; His limbs are like bars of iron.

19 "He is the ¹⁷first of the ways of God; Let his ¹⁸maker bring near his sword.

20 "Surely the mountains ¹⁹bring him food, And all the beasts of the field ²⁰play there.

21 "Under the lotus plants he lies down, In the covert of the reeds and the marsh.

22 "The lotus plants cover him with shade; The willows of the brook surround him.

23 "If a river rages, he is not alarmed; He is confident, though the ²¹Jordan rushes to his mouth.

24 "Can anyone capture him when he is on watch, With barbs can anyone pierce his nose?

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Job 40:3-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 40

In this chapter Job is called upon to give in his answer, Job 40:1,2, which he does in the most humble manner, acknowledging his vileness and folly, Job 40:3-5; and then the Lord proceeds to give him further conviction of his superior justice and power, Job 40:6-9; and one thing he proposes to him, to humble the proud, if he could, and then he would own his own right hand could save him, Job 40:10-15; and observes to him another instance of his power in a creature called behemoth, which he had made, and gives a description of, Job 40:15-24.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 21

1. Job 21:5; Job 29:9
2. Job 9:3, 15
3. Job 38:1
4. Job 38:3
5. Job 38:3; Job 42:4
6. Romans 3:4
7. Job 10:3, 7; Job 16:11; Job 19:6; Job 27:2
8. Job 13:18; Job 27:6
9. Job 37:5; Psalms 29:3
10. Psalms 93:1; Psalms 104:1
11. Isaiah 42:25; Nahum 1:6, 8
12. Isaiah 2:12; Daniel 4:37
13. 1 Samuel 2:7; Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 13:11; Daniel 4:37
14. Isaiah 63:3
15. Isaiah 2:10-12
16. Job 40:19
17. Job 41:33
18. Job 40:15
19. Psalms 104:14
20. Psalms 104:26
21. Genesis 13:10

Footnotes 10

[a]. Lit "under them"
[b]. Or "their faces"
[c]. Or "praise you"
[d]. Or "the hippopotamus"
[e]. Lit "with"
[f]. Lit "bones"
[g]. Lit "his shade"
[h]. Or "oppresses"
[i]. Lit "in his eyes"
[j]. Lit "snares"