King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Clubs count as hay, and he laughs at a quivering javelin.
Berean Standard Bible:
A club is regarded as straw, and he laughs at the sound of the lance.
American Standard Version:
Clubs are counted as stubble: He laugheth at the rushing of the javelin.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Darts{H8455} are counted{H2803} as stubble{H7179}: he laugheth{H7832} at the shaking{H7494} of a spear{H3591}.
Cross-References (KJV):
2 Chronicles 26:14
- And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings [to cast] stones.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Job 41:29
Job 41:29 is part of a larger poetic discourse found in the Book of Job, specifically within a speech given by God to Job out of a whirlwind. This speech occurs near the end of the book, after Job and his friends have engaged in lengthy debates about the reasons for Job's undeserved suffering. In this divine speech, God describes the attributes of a creature called Leviathan, which is often interpreted as a symbolic representation of chaos and primeval forces that humans cannot control or comprehend.
The verse itself uses vivid imagery to convey the might and fearsome nature of Leviathan. The phrase "Darts are counted as stubble: he laughs at the shaking of a spear" suggests that attempts to harm or subdue this creature with human weaponry are laughably ineffective. The darts and spears, which would be formidable against most adversaries, are as harmless to Leviathan as stubble or a slight tremor. This illustrates the creature's imperviousness to human power and emphasizes the limitations of human strength and technology in the face of divine creation and the untamed forces of nature.
In the broader context of the Book of Job, this verse serves to underscore one of the book's central themes: the recognition of God's absolute sovereignty and the inscrutability of divine wisdom. Job is being taught that there are aspects of the world and of God's governance that are beyond human understanding or control. The description of Leviathan's invincibility is a metaphor for the unfathomable nature of God's power and the folly of human beings in thinking they can challenge or fully grasp it.
The historical context of the Book of Job is somewhat uncertain, with estimates of its composition ranging from the 7th to the 4th century BCE. It is part of the Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible, which includes texts like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. These writings reflect on the human condition, morality, and the nature of wisdom, often through storytelling, poetry, and philosophical reflection. The Book of Job, in particular, grapples with the problem of evil and suffering, questioning why the righteous suffer and challenging simplistic explanations that connect piety with prosperity and wickedness with misfortune. Job 41:29, therefore, is a small but powerful part of this extensive theological inquiry.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H8455
There are 1 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: תּוֹתָח
Transliteration: tôwthâch
Pronunciation: to-thawkh'
Description: from an unused root meaning to smite; a club; darts. - Strong's Number: H2803
There are 122 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חָשַׁב
Transliteration: châshab
Pronunciation: khaw-shab'
Description: a primitive root; properly, to plait or interpenetrate, i.e. (literally) to weave or (generally) to fabricate; figuratively, to plot or contrive (usually in a malicious sense); hence (from the mental effort) to think, regard, value, compute; (make) account (of), conceive, consider, count, cunning (man, work, workman), devise, esteem, find out, forecast, hold, imagine, impute, invent, be like, mean, purpose, reckon(-ing be made), regard, think. - Strong's Number: H7179
There are 16 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: קַשׁ
Transliteration: qash
Pronunciation: kash
Description: from קָשַׁשׁ; straw (as dry); stubble. - Strong's Number: H7832
There are 36 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׂחַק
Transliteration: sâchaq
Pronunciation: saw-khak'
Description: a primitive root; to laugh (in pleasure or detraction); by implication, to play; deride, have in derision, laugh, make merry, mock(-er), play, rejoice, (laugh to) scorn, be in (make) sport. - Strong's Number: H7494
There are 16 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רַעַשׁ
Transliteration: raʻash
Pronunciation: rah'-ash
Description: from רָעַשׁ; vibration, bounding, uproar; commotion, confused noise, earthquake, fierceness, quaking, rattling, rushing, shaking. - Strong's Number: H3591
There are 8 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: כִּידוֹן
Transliteration: kîydôwn
Pronunciation: kee-dohn'
Description: from the same as כִּיד; (perhaps smaller than חֲנִיתlemma חֲניִת second vowel, corrected to חֲנִית); properly, something to strike with, i.e. a dart; lance, shield, spear, target.