English · CJB

Job40

The LORD challenges Job, asking if he intends to instruct the Almighty or condemn Him to be righteous. Humbled, Job confesses his vileness and resolves to speak no more, laying his hand upon his mouth. God then describes Behemoth, a creature of immense strength and size, as a testament to His unparalleled creative power.

God Challenges Job's Self-Justification

1
Continuing to address Iyov, ADONAI said:
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"Does the critic still want to dispute Shaddai? Let him who wants to correct God give an answer!" ​
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Then Iyov replied to ADONAI:
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"I am too ashamed; I have nothing to say. I lay my hand over my mouth. ​
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Yes, I spoke once, but I won't answer more; all right, twice, but I won't go on." ​

The LORD Demands Job’s Answer

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ADONAI answered Iyov out of the storm: ​
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"Stand up like a man, and brace yourself; I will ask questions; and you, give the answers! ​
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"Are you impugning my justice? Putting me in the wrong to prove yourself right? ​
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Do you have an arm like God's? Can you thunder with a voice like his? ​
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Come on, deck yourself with majesty and dignity, robe yourself in glory and splendor.
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Let loose your furious anger, look at all who are proud, and humble them.
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Look at all who are proud, and bring them down; tread down the wicked where they stand. ​
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Bury them in the ground together, bind their faces in the hidden world.
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If you do this, then I will confess to you that your own power can save you. ​

The Power of Behemoth

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"Now consider Behemot, whom I made along with you. He eats grass like an ox. ​
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What strength he has in his loins! What power in his stomach muscles! ​
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He can make his tail as stiff as a cedar, the muscles in his thighs are like cables, ​
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his bones are like bronze pipes, his limbs like iron bars.
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"He ranks first among God's works. Only his maker can approach him with his sword. ​
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The mountains produce food for him there, where all the wild animals play.
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He lies down under the thorny lotus bushes and is hidden by the reeds in the swamp;
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the lotus bushes cover him with their shade, and the willows by the stream surround him.
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If the river overflows, it doesn't worry him; he is confident even if the Yarden rushes by his mouth. ​
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Can anyone catch him by his eyes or pierce his nose with a hook? ​

Study Notes for Job 40

Verse 2

This rhetorical question summarizes God's charge: Job, in defending his innocence, has implicitly accused God of injustice or incompetence. God demands that Job, if he claims such knowledge, now provide a comprehensive solution.

Verse 4

Job’s confession, 'I am vile' (or 'insignificant/light'), marks a turning point. He recognizes the infinite distance between his finite understanding and God's comprehensive wisdom, leading to humility rather than insistent complaint.

Verse 5

Job limits his previous complaints ('Once... twice') and promises absolute silence, acknowledging the futility of questioning the Almighty from a position of limited knowledge.

Verse 6

The second divine speech begins immediately, indicating that while Job submitted, he still needed to grasp the full implications of God’s sovereignty.

Verse 7

“Gird up thy loins now like a man” is an idiom meaning 'prepare for action' or 'prepare for a serious debate.' God challenges Job to stand up and face the theological argument with the strength and resolve of a warrior.

Verse 8

God clarifies the theological stakes: by demanding justice and questioning God's governance, Job attempts to 'disannul' (invalidate) God's moral order merely to establish his own righteousness.

Verse 9

This verse underscores the premise of God's speech: If Job truly understands justice and governance, he must possess the physical and cosmic power (symbolized by God's 'arm' and 'thunder') necessary to enforce it.

Verse 12

God challenges Job to take on the role of divine Judge, successfully subduing all cosmic evil and pride. This task is impossible for a mortal, demonstrating that only God is qualified to govern the world.

Verse 14

This ironic conclusion states that only if Job can successfully fulfill the divine role (Vv. 9-13) will God concede that Job possesses the power to save himself—a power Job clearly lacks.

Verse 15

God now shifts from the challenge of cosmic governance to concrete evidence of creation's complexity. Behemoth (Heb. *bəhēmōth*, possibly an intensive plural meaning 'great beast') is widely identified with the hippopotamus, known for its immense size and strength.

Verse 16

The emphasis is on the creature's massive, concentrated physical power, particularly in the core (loins/belly), highlighting its immense stability and strength.

Verse 17

The description of the tail 'like a cedar' emphasizes its size, rigidity, and immense power, suggesting a creature of truly colossal proportions.

Verse 19

To be the 'chief of the ways of God' means this creature is the greatest example or masterpiece of God's terrestrial creation. The second clause suggests that only its Creator can truly control or defeat it.

Verse 23

This hyperbole emphasizes the creature's capacity and indifference to large bodies of water, reinforcing its untroubled dominance even in flood conditions.

Verse 24

This verse likely describes the difficulty of capturing such a powerful beast, emphasizing that it relies on no human device and cannot be easily tricked or snared.

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