Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
gieul Poiccr in Bclieniolh, JOB XLI. and in the Leviaf han.
Rather, a ring or hook. So wild beasts were led about when caught (Isaiah 37. 29; Ezekiel 29. 4); fishes also were secured thus, and thrown into the water to keep them alive. 3. soft words—That thou mayest spare liis life. No: he is unlamabie. 4. Can he be tamed for domeslio use(soch. 39. 10-12)? 5. a bird—That is tamed. G. Rather, part7iers (viz., in fishing), make a banquet—Tlio parallelism rather supports Umhiieit, " Do partners (in trade) desire to jiurchase h'Mnl (so X\w Hebrew, Deuteronomy 2.
rathi'f to the custom of binding a cloth oveithe faces of pei-sotis aliout to be executed (ch. 9. 24; Esther 7.8). In secr«-t—Consign t)iem to darkness. 14. confess—Rather, erlol: "I also," who now cctisiire thee. But since thou
(Siiist not Jo these works, thou must, instead of censuring, extol my government, fitlne own . . . hand . . . s»ve —(rs Hlm4l.3.) So as to eternal salvation by Jesus Christ (Isaiah 59. C:!. ol God shows that if Job cannot brins unler control tlie lower animals (of which he selects the two most striltinp;, beliemoth on land, leviathan iu the water ;, much less is he capable of governing the world. 15. bclicnioth—The description in part agrees with the
6). merchants Lit., Ciinaaiiile.i, who were great merchants (Hosea 12. 7, Margin). His hide is not penetrable, as that of tishes. 8. If thou lay, &c, thou wilt have reason ever to remember, &(:, and thou wilt never try it again. 8. the hope Of taking him. cast down—With fear "at the (mere) sight of him." 17. tierce—Courageous. If a man dare attiu-k one of my creatures (Genesis 49. 9 ; Numbers 24. 9), who will dare (as Jol) had wished) oppose himself (Psalm 2. 2) to me, the Creator? This is the main drift of the descrip! ion of leviatlian. 11. prevented—Done me a favour first: anticipated me with service (Psalm 21. 3). None can c;ill me to account ("stand before me," t'. 10) as unjust, because I have withdrawn favours from him (as in Job's case): for none has laid me under a prior obligation by conferring on me something wlilch was not already my own. What can man give to Him who possesses all, including man himself? Man cannot constrain the creature to be his "servant" (v. 4), much less the Creator. 13. I will not conceal—A resumption of the description broken otT l)y the digression, which formed an agreeable change. hU power Lit., the way, i. e., true proportion or expression of his strength ( so Hebrew, Deuteronomy 19.4). comely proportion Lit., the comeliness of his structure (his ajyparatus: so "suit of apparel " Judges 17. 10). [Maurer.] Umbreit translates, " his armour." But that follows alter. 13. discover—Rather, uncover the surface of his garment (skin, ch. 10. 11): strip off the hard outer coat with which the inner skin is covered, with—Rather, within, his double jarcs, lit., bridle: hence that into which the bridle is put, the double row of teeth; but "bridle" is used to imT>ly that none dare put his hand in to insert a bridle where lii| i-op<)l.'irnus, in part with tlie elephant, but exactly iu all delails with neitlier. It is rather a poetical personijicalioii of the (freal Parh,i/dei ma(a, or Herl/ivora (so " he eateth grass," &<:), the idea of the hippopotamus Ixnng predominant. In 0. 17, " the tail like a cedar," hardly applies to the latter fso also i-. 20, 23, "Joi'dan," a river which elephants alone could reach, but see note 2:1). On the other hand, 2!, 22 are characteristic of the amphibiouis riverhoi-se. So leviathan (the twisting animal), ch. 41. I, is a geiwrolized t4n-m fur celucea, pythons, saurixins of the neiglil)Ouring seas and rivers, including the crocodile, which is the most proi\iinent,and isoften associated with the ri verliorse V>y old writei-s. " Behemoth" seems to be the Eg.vp- (ian rehcmoiit, " water-ox," Hebraized, so tailed as being like an ox, whence the Italian " Vjombarino." Vfilh tree —As I ma<le thyself. Yet how great the difference! The manifokl wisdom and power of God! lie eatctli grass Marvellous in an animal living so much in the water; also strange, tliat such a monster should not be carnivorous. 16. navpl—llather, niK«cks of 1) is belly; the weakest point of the elephant, therefore H is not meant. 17. like a cedar—As the tempest bends the cedar, so it can move its smooth thick tail. TUmbkeit.] But the cedar implies straightness and lengtli, such as do not apply K) the riverhorse's short tail, l)Ut perhaps to an extinct species of animal (see note u. 15). stones—Rather, Wiif7/i.s. wrapped —Firmly tmisted together, like a thick rope. 18. strong pieces—Rather, <i(6e« of copper. [Umbreit.] 19. Chief of the works of God; so "ways" (ch. 26. 14; Proverbs 8. 22). can make his sword to approacli—Rather, has furnished him tcilh his sword (harpe), viz., the siekle-Ulce teeth with which he cuts down grain. English Version, however, is in other animals it is placed (v. 4; ch. 39. 10). 14. doors of . . . face—His mouth. His teeth are sixty in number, larger in proportion than his body, some standing out, some serrated, fitting into each other like a comb. [BoCHART.] 15. Rather, his furrows of shields (as " tubes," " channels," Note 40. 18), are, &c., i. e., the rows of scales, like g/iieids covering him: he has seventeen such rows, shut up—Firmly closed together. A musket ball cannot penetrate him, save in the e.ve, thi-oat and belly. 18. Trans-
It7. right. 20. The mountain is not his «*Ma? haunt. BoCH Aiicsays it is sometimes found there(?). beasts . . . play —A graphic trait : though armed with such teeth, he lets the beasts play near him unhurt, for his food is grass. 31. Ileth—He leads an inactive life, shady trees—Rather, lotus biishes; as v. 22 requires. 33. Translate, lotus buslies; 33. Rather, "(Though) a river be violent (overflow), he treinbleth not;" (for though living on laiid, he can live in the water too), he is secure, though a Jordan swell up to his mouth. "Jordan" is used for any great river (consonant with the " behemoth"), being a poetical generalization (note 15). The author cannot have been a Hebrew as UmBKKiT asserts, or he would not adduce the Jordan, where there were no river-hoi-ses. He alludes to it as a name (or any river, but not as one known to him, except by hearsay. 3*. Rather, "will any take him by open force (<t<., before his eyes), or pierce his nose with cords?" No; he ean ouly be taken by guile, and in a pitfall (ch. 41. 1, 2).
late, " his sneezing causeth a light to shine." Amphibious animals, emerging after having long held their breath under water, respire by violently expelling the breath like one sneezing: in the effort the eyes which are usually directed towards the sun, seem to flash fire; or it is the expelled breath that, in the sun, seems to emit light, eyelids of morning—The Egyptian hieroglyphics paint the eyes of tlie crocodile as the symbol for morning, because the eyes appear the first tiling, liefore the whole body emerges from the deep. [HOR. Hiekog., 1. Go. Bochart.] 19. burning lamps Torches, viz., in respiring (v. 18), seem to go out. 30. seething—Boiling: lit.., blown under, under which a flre is blown. 31. kindleth coals—Poetical imagery (Psalm 18. 8). 33. reinaineth—Abideth permanently. His chief strength is in the neck, sorrow—Anxiety or dismay personified. Is tnrned into joy—Rather, danceth, exulteth ; wherever he goes, he spreads terror " before him." 33. flakes—Rather, dewlaps. That which falls down {Margin). They are "joined" fast and firm, together, not hanging loose, as in the ox. are Arm Umbreit and Maurer, "Are spread." In themselves— Rather, upon him. 34. heart Bochart, " in large beasts which are less acute in feeling, there is great firmness of the lieart, and slower motion." [Bochart.] The nether millstone, on which the upper turns, is especially hard. 33. he—The crocodile: a type of the awe which the Creator inspires wlien He rises In wrath, breakings—viz., of the mind, i.e., terror, purify themselves—Rather,
CHAPTER XLI.
Ver. 1-34. 1. leviathan Lit., the twisted animal, gathering itself in folds: a synonym to the Thannin (ch. 3. 8, Margin ; see Psalm 74. 14; type of the Egyptian tyrant; Psalm 104. 26 ; Isaiah 27. 1 ; the Babylon tyrant). A poetic tal generalizntimi for all cetacean, serpentine, and saurian monsters (Note 40. 15, hence all the description applies to no one animal); especially the crocodile; which is naturally described after t\\a river-horse, as both are found in the Nile, tongne . . . lettestdown—The crocodile has no tongue, or a very small one cleaving to the lower jaw. But as in Ashing the tongue of the fish draws the baited hook to it, God asks. Canst thou in like manner take lerlathaD7 8. hook—Rather, a rope of rushes, thorn— t/ieif wander from Die way, i. e., flee away bewil lered, 343