Job 41
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CHAPTER 41
God Concludes (41:1–34)
1–11 God now asks Job if he can catch the leviathan as one would catch a fish. Just as the behemoth (Job 40:15) was the strongest of the land animals, so the crocodile—like leviathan was the strongest of the sea creatures.83 Job had no chance of catching such a monster!
Then, by the use of rhetorical questions, God points out to Job that he (or any other man) has no power over such a strong and fearsome creature. And if no man is able to stand against the leviathan, says God, “who then is able to stand against me?” (verse 10). Job had said, in effect, that God “owed” him an explanation for his suffering. God says that He owes no man anything. “Everything under heaven belongs to me” (verse 11).
12–34 In these verses, God goes on to describe the leviathan, using figurative language to show how powerful a creature it is. God sums up His description by saying: “Nothing on earth is his equal” (verse 33). Man has no power over the leviathan; only God can subdue it. Only God can subdue the forces of evil in the world, which are symbolized by the leviathan.