Job 26:5-14

5 The dead tremble— those beneath the waters and those who dwell in them.

6 Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon ^[a] has no covering.

7 He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth upon nothing.

8 He wraps up the waters in His clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their own weight.

9 He covers the face of the full moon, ^[b] spreading over it His cloud.

10 He has inscribed a horizon on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.

11 The foundations of heaven quake, astounded at His rebuke.

12 By His power He stirred ^[c] the sea; by His understanding He shattered Rahab.

13 By His breath the skies were cleared; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. ^[d]

14 Indeed, these are but the fringes of His ways; how faint is the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”

Job 26:5-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 26

In this chapter Job, in a very sarcastic manner, rallies Bildad on the weakness and impertinence of his reply, and sets it in a very ridiculous light; showing it to be quite foolish and stupid, and not at all to the purpose, and besides was none of his own, but what he had borrowed from another, Job 26:1-4; and if it was of any avail in the controversy to speak of the greatness and majesty of God, of his perfections and attributes, of his ways and works, he could say greater and more glorious things of God than he had done, and as he does, Job 26:5-13; beginning at the lower parts of the creation, and gradually ascending to the superior and celestial ones; and concludes with observing, that, after all, it was but little that was known of God and his ways, by himself, by Bildad, or by any mortal creature, Job 26:14.

Footnotes

• [a] Abaddon means Destruction.
• [b] Or of His throne
• [c] Or stilled
• [d] Hebrew nachash; translated in most cases as snake