Job 41:9

9 What hope would you have with such a creature? Why, one look at him would do you in!

Job 41:9 Meaning and Commentary

Job 41:9

Behold, the hope of him is in vain
Of getting the mastery over him, or of taking him; and yet both crocodiles and whales have been taken; nor is the taking of them to be despaired of; but it seems the "orca", or the whale with many teeth, has never been taken and killed F15;

shall not [one] be cast down even at the sight of him?
the sight of a whale is terrible to mariners, lest their ships should be overturned by it; and some have been so frightened at the sight of a crocodile as to lose their senses: and we read of one that was greatly terrified at seeing the shadow of one; and the creature before mentioned is supposed to be much more terrible F16.


FOOTNOTES:

F15 Vid. Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 4. p. 846.
F16 Scheuchzer. ib.

Job 41:9 In-Context

7 Could you shoot him full of arrows like a pin cushion, or drive harpoons into his huge head?
8 If you so much as lay a hand on him, you won't live to tell the story.
9 What hope would you have with such a creature? Why, one look at him would do you in!
10 If you can't hold your own against his glowering visage, how, then, do you expect to stand up to me?
11 Who could confront me and get by with it? I'm in charge of all this - I run this universe!
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.