Job 40:13

KJV

Hide them in the dust together; [and] bind their faces in secret.

KJV (with Strong's)

Hide {H2934} them in the dust {H6083} together {H3162}; and bind {H2280} their faces {H6440} in secret {H2934}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Bury them in the ground together, bind their faces in the hidden world.

Berean Standard Bible

Bury them together in the dust; imprison them in the grave.

American Standard Version

Hide them in the dust together; Bind their faces in the hiddenplace.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Job 40:13 is a powerful rhetorical challenge from God to Job, forming part of the Almighty's second profound discourse designed to humble Job and reveal the vast chasm between human and divine power. Within this verse, God dares Job to exercise the ultimate authority over the proud and wicked, specifically to "hide them in the dust together" and "bind their faces in secret." This imagery vividly portrays the complete subjugation, disgrace, and obliteration of those who stand in defiant pride, asserting that such absolute control and perfect justice belong to God alone, not to any human, no matter how righteous or afflicted.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Job 40:13 is embedded within God's second major speech to Job, which spans from [Job 38:1](/job/38-1 "Job 38:1 - God's First Response to Job") through [Job 41:34](/job/41-34 "Job 41:34 - God's Description of Leviathan"). Following Job's brief, humbled response in [Job 40:3-5](/job/40-3 "Job 40:3-5 - Job's Humbled Reply"), God resumes His interrogation, intensifying the challenge. The immediate preceding verses ([Job 40:9-12](/job/40-9 "Job 40:9-12 - God Challenges Job's Power")) explicitly challenge Job to clothe himself with divine attributes—majesty, glory, and splendor—and then to unleash his wrath, humble the proud, and cast down the wicked. Verse 13 serves as the culmination of this challenge, daring Job to perform an act of ultimate divine judgment before God introduces the formidable creatures Behemoth and Leviathan, further illustrating His unchallengeable power over creation and chaos.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The book of Job is set in the land of Uz, a region likely in Edom or northern Arabia, during a patriarchal period, possibly pre-Mosaic, given the absence of references to the Mosaic Law or the nation of Israel. The cultural backdrop emphasizes the importance of honor, reputation, and public standing. To be "hidden in the dust" or to have one's "face bound in secret" would signify the ultimate disgrace, loss of honor, and complete removal from society or even existence. Burial in dust or earth was a common practice, making the imagery of being "hidden in the dust" powerfully evocative of death, oblivion, and utter defeat. The concept of divine justice, where the wicked are ultimately brought low and the righteous vindicated, was a central tenet, though Job's experience profoundly challenged simplistic interpretations of this principle.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in the book of Job. Firstly, it underscores **Divine Sovereignty and Omnipotence**, asserting God's absolute and unrivaled power over all creation, including the most arrogant and formidable human beings. Only God possesses the authority and might to execute perfect justice and humble the proud. Secondly, it highlights **Human Limitation and Humility**, revealing the vast, unbridgeable gap between Job's (and humanity's) finite capabilities and God's infinite power. Job's inability to perform the actions God challenges him with forces him to acknowledge his own weakness and dependence. Finally, the verse speaks to **God's Ultimate Justice and the Humiliation of the Wicked**. Despite the apparent prosperity of the wicked in this life, the imagery assures that God will indeed bring them to utter disgrace and oblivion, a theme echoed throughout Scripture, such as in [Psalm 73:18-20](/psalm/73-18 "Psalm 73:18-20 - The Destiny of the Wicked").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Hide (Hebrew, _ṭāman'_):** This verb signifies to conceal, to bury, or to store away. In this context, it carries the strong connotation of putting someone out of sight, out of mind, and out of existence. It implies not just concealment, but an act of complete removal and obliteration, often associated with burial or destruction, leading to a state of oblivion.
* **Dust (Hebrew, _ʿāfār'_):** A ubiquitous biblical term, "dust" often refers to dry earth, soil, or ashes. Metaphorically, it is strongly associated with mortality, lowliness, insignificance, and the grave. To be "hidden in the dust" is to be utterly vanquished, reduced to nothingness, and consigned to the realm of death and oblivion, stripped of all power and prominence.
* **Bind (Hebrew, _ḥāvaš'_):** This verb means to bind, to tie up, to restrain, or to saddle. Here, it suggests a complete subjugation and incapacitation. It implies a loss of freedom, movement, and agency, akin to binding a prisoner or a corpse.
* **Faces (Hebrew, _pānîm'_):** While literally "faces," this term often represents presence, honor, and public visibility in ancient Near Eastern culture. To "bind their faces" could imply covering them in shame, shrouding them like the dead, or preventing them from being seen or recognized. It signifies a profound loss of honor, identity, and public standing, leading to disgrace and anonymity.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Hide them in the dust together":** This clause presents a direct challenge to Job, daring him to exercise divine power over the proud. The command to "hide them in the dust" vividly portrays the ultimate defeat and disgrace of the arrogant. It evokes imagery of burial, consigning them to oblivion, stripping them of all their earthly power, status, and pride. The "together" emphasizes a collective, decisive act of judgment against all who embody such arrogance, implying a comprehensive and inescapable fate.
* **"and bind their faces in secret":** This second clause reinforces and amplifies the first. To "bind their faces" suggests a complete loss of honor, identity, and public visibility. It implies a state of utter shame, perhaps like a condemned person whose face is covered, or a corpse shrouded for burial. The addition of "in secret" highlights that God's judgments, though absolute and thorough, are not always immediately visible or fully comprehensible to human observers. It underscores the hidden, sovereign nature of divine justice, which operates beyond human sight and understanding, ensuring that no one escapes God's ultimate reckoning.

#### Literary Devices
Job 40:13 is rich in **Imagery**, painting vivid pictures of the ultimate downfall of the proud. The phrases "hide them in the dust" and "bind their faces in secret" evoke powerful visual and emotional responses, suggesting burial, shame, and complete obliteration. The verse employs **Rhetorical Question** implicitly, as it is part of God's larger challenge to Job, asking if he possesses the power to do these things. The answer, clearly, is no, thereby emphasizing God's unique omnipotence. There is also a strong sense of **Parallelism** between the two clauses, where the second clause ("bind their faces in secret") amplifies and reinforces the meaning of the first ("hide them in the dust together"), both pointing to the comprehensive and inescapable nature of divine judgment against the arrogant. The challenge itself is a form of **Hyperbole**, as God asks Job to perform acts that are clearly beyond any human capability, serving to underscore the infinite chasm between human and divine power.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 40:13 serves as a profound theological statement on God's exclusive prerogative to execute ultimate justice and humble the proud. It asserts that while humans may perceive injustice or the temporary triumph of the wicked, God alone possesses the power, wisdom, and authority to bring all arrogance to nothingness. This verse reminds us that God's justice is not always immediate or visible according to human timelines, but it is absolute and certain. It calls believers to trust in God's sovereign control, even when circumstances seem chaotic or unjust, and to recognize that true power belongs solely to Him, who can reduce the mightiest to dust and bind the faces of the most defiant in secret.

* [Proverbs 16:18](/proverbs/16-18 "Proverbs 16:18 - Pride Goes Before Destruction")
* [Psalm 75:6-7](/psalm/75-6 "Psalm 75:6-7 - God Judges and Exalts")
* [Isaiah 2:11](/isaiah/2-11 "Isaiah 2:11 - The Haughtiness of Man Humbled")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 40:13 offers a sobering yet comforting truth for believers today. It compels us to cultivate a profound humility, recognizing that our own power, wisdom, and ability to control circumstances or exact justice are utterly insignificant compared to God's. When we observe the apparent prosperity of the wicked or feel overwhelmed by injustice in the world, this verse reminds us that God's ultimate justice is assured. We are not called to take vengeance into our own hands or to despair, but to trust that the Almighty will, in His perfect timing and manner, "hide them in the dust together" and "bind their faces in secret." This truth should liberate us from the burden of trying to right every wrong ourselves, enabling us to rest in God's sovereign control and perfect righteousness. It encourages us to align our hearts with His, embracing humility and seeking His will, knowing that He is the one who truly brings down the proud and lifts up the humble.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does the imagery of "hiding in the dust" and "binding faces in secret" challenge your perception of God's justice in a world where the proud often seem to prosper?**
* **In what areas of your life might you be tempted to rely on your own strength or wisdom rather than trusting in God's ultimate sovereignty?**
* **How can reflecting on God's power to humble the proud deepen your trust in His plan, even when it is not immediately apparent?**
* **What practical steps can you take to cultivate greater humility in your daily life, in light of God's unparalleled power?**

### FAQ
**Does Job 40:13 imply that God will literally bury people in dust or bind their faces?**

Answer: While the imagery in Job 40:13 is vivid and draws on physical actions, it is primarily **metaphorical** for God's absolute power to bring about the complete humiliation, defeat, and obliteration of the proud and wicked. To "hide them in the dust" signifies consigning them to oblivion, stripping them of all power and prominence, much like a burial reduces a body to dust. To "bind their faces in secret" implies a complete loss of honor, identity, and public visibility, a state of utter disgrace and anonymity. It underscores that God's judgment is comprehensive and inescapable, even if not always outwardly visible to human eyes. The verse is a rhetorical challenge to Job, demonstrating that only God possesses such ultimate authority and power over all creation and humanity, particularly those who defy Him in arrogance, as seen in [Job 40:11-12](/job/40-11 "Job 40:11-12 - God's Challenge to Job").

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 40:13, with its stark portrayal of God's power to humble the proud and bring low the arrogant, finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While the Old Testament often speaks of God's direct judgment, the New Testament reveals how God's justice and humility are perfectly embodied in Christ. Jesus, though God, did not cling to His divine prerogatives but "emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" ([Philippians 2:7](/philippians/2-7 "Philippians 2:7 - Christ's Humility")). He was "hidden in the dust" of humanity, experiencing the ultimate humiliation of the cross, where He was "bound" and "secretly" judged by the world, yet through this very act, He conquered sin, death, and the pride of humanity. The ultimate "binding" of faces in shame will be for those who reject Christ, as every knee will eventually bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord ([Philippians 2:10-11](/philippians/2-10 "Philippians 2:10-11 - Every Knee Will Bow")). Conversely, for those who humble themselves and believe in Him, Christ's resurrection is the ultimate vindication, demonstrating God's power not to merely hide in the dust, but to raise from it, granting eternal life and honor to the humble, as promised in [Matthew 23:12](/matthew/23-12 "Matthew 23:12 - Humility and Exaltation").

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Isaiah 2:10

¶ Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.

Esther 7:8

Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther [was]. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.

Job 36:13

But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.

John 11:44

And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Job 14:13

O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

Psalms 49:14

Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.