Job 40

1 And the Lord added to (this), and spake to Job (and spoke more to Job), and said,

2 Whether he, that striveth with God, shall have rest so lightly? Soothly he, that reproveth God, oweth for to answer to him. (Shall he, who argueth with God, now so easily have rest? Yea he, who rebuketh God, ought to answer him.)

3 And Job answered to the Lord, and said,

4 What may I answer, which have spoken lightly, that is, undiscreetly and follily? (What can I answer to thee, I who have spoken so freely, that is, so indiscreetly, and so foolishly?) I shall put mine hand upon my mouth.

5 I spake one thing, which thing I would, that I had not said (I spoke one thing, which I wish, that I had not said); and I spake another thing, to which I shall no more add.

6 Forsooth the Lord answered to Job from the whirlwind, and said, (Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,)

7 Gird thou as a man thy loins, and I shall ask thee, and show thou to me. (Gird thou up thy loins like a man, and I shall ask thee, and thou shalt answer me.)

8 Whether thou shalt make void my doom, and shalt thou condemn me, that thou be made just? (Shalt thou make void my justice? that is, shalt thou say that I am unjust? and shalt thou condemn me, so that thou can be right?)

9 And if thou hast an arm, or power, as God hath, and if thou thunderest with like voice,

10 take thou fairness about thee, and be thou raised on high, and be thou glorious, and be thou clothed in fair clothes. (take thou beauty about thee, and be thou raised up on high, and be thou glorious, and be thou clothed in beautiful clothes.)

11 And destroy thou proud men in thy fierce vengeance (And destroy thou the proud with thy fierce vengeance), and behold thou, and make low each boaster.

12 Behold thou all proud men, and shame thou them; and all-break thou (the) wicked men in their place.

13 Hide thou them in dust together, and drench down their faces into a ditch. (Hide thou them in the dust together, and drown them down in a ditch.)

14 And then I shall acknowledge, that thy right hand may save thee. (And then I shall acknowledge, that thy right hand can save thee.)

15 Lo! behemoth, whom I made with thee, shall as an ox eat hay. (Lo! the behemoth, which I made with thee, eateth hay like an ox.)

16 His strength is in his loins, and his might is in the navel of his womb.

17 He constraineth his tail as a cedar (His tail standeth up like a cedar); the sinews of his stones of engendering be folded together.

18 His bones be as pipes of brass; the gristle of him is as plates of iron. (His bones be like brass pipes; his gristle is like iron plates.)

19 He is the beginning of the ways of God; he, that made him, shall set his sword to him. (He is the chief of God's works; but he, who made him, shall set his sword against him.)

20 Hills bear herbs to this behemoth (The hills grow grass for this behemoth); all the beasts of the field play there.

21 He sleepeth under shadow, in the private of a reed, in moist places. (He sleepeth under a shadow, hidden among the reeds of the marshes.)

22 Shadows cover his shadow; the sallows of the river compass him (about). (Shady trees cover him with their shadows; the willows of the river surround him.)

23 He shall swallow up the flood, and he shall not wonder (He shall swallow up the river, and he shall not be afraid); he hath trust, that (the) Jordan shall flow into his mouth.

24 He shall take them by his eyes, as by an hook; and by sharp shafts he shall pierce his nostrils. (Who shall put out his eyes, and shall catch him? who shall pierce his nostrils with sharp shafts?)

Job 40 Commentary

Chapter 40

Job humbles himself to God. (1-5) The Lord reasons with Job to show his righteousness, power, and wisdom. (6-14) God's power shown in Behemoth. (15-24)

Verses 1-5 Communion with the Lord effectually convinces and humbles a saint, and makes him glad to part with his most beloved sins. There is need to be thoroughly convinced and humbled, to prepare us for remarkable deliverances. After God had shown Job, by his manifest ignorance of the works of nature, how unable he was to judge of the methods and designs of Providence, he puts a convincing question to him; Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? Now Job began to melt into godly sorrow: when his friends reasoned with him, he did not yield; but the voice of the Lord is powerful. When the Spirit of truth is come, he shall convince. Job yields himself to the grace of God. He owns himself an offender, and has nothing to say to justify himself. He is now sensible that he has sinned; and therefore he calls himself vile. Repentance changes men's opinion of themselves. Job is now convinced of his error. Those who are truly sensible of their own sinfulness and vileness, dare not justify themselves before God. He perceived that he was a poor, mean, foolish, and sinful creature, who ought not to have uttered one word against the Divine conduct. One glimpse of God's holy nature would appal the stoutest rebel. How, then will the wicked bear the sight of his glory at the day of judgment? But when we see this glory revealed in Jesus Christ, we shall be humbled without being terrified; self-abasement agrees with filial love.

Verses 6-14 Those who profit by what they have heard from God, shall hear more from him. And those who are truly convinced of sin, yet need to be more thoroughly convinced and more humbled. No doubt God, and he only, has power to humble and bring down proud men; he has wisdom to know when and how to do it, and it is not for us to teach him how to govern the world. Our own hands cannot save us by recommending us to God's grace, much less rescuing us from his justice; and therefore into his hand we must commit ourselves. The renewal of a believer proceeds in the same way of conviction, humbling, and watchfulness against remaining sin, as his first conversion. When convinced of many evils in our conduct, we still need convincing of many more.

Verses 15-24 God, for the further proving of his own power, describes two vast animals, far exceeding man in bulk and strength. Behemoth signifies beasts. Most understand it of an animal well known in Egypt, called the river-horse, or hippopotamus. This vast animal is noticed as an argument to humble ourselves before the great God; for he created this vast animal, which is so fearfully and wonderfully made. Whatever strength this or any other creature has, it is derived from God. He that made the soul of man, knows all the ways to it, and can make the sword of justice, his wrath, to approach and touch it. Every godly man has spiritual weapons, the whole armour of God, to resist, yea, to overcome the tempter, that his never-dying soul may be safe, whatever becomes of his frail flesh and mortal body.

Chapter Summary

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.