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Commentary on Job 41 verses 11–34
God, having in the foregoing verses shown Job how unable he was to deal with the leviathan, here sets forth his own power in that massy mighty creature. Here is,
I. God's sovereign dominion and independency laid down, Job 41:11. 1. That he is indebted to none of his creatures. If any pretend he is indebted to them, let them make their demand and prove their debt, and they shall receive it in full and not by composition: "Who has prevented me?" that is, "who has laid any obligations upon me by any services he has done me? Who can pretend to be before-hand with me? If any were, I would not long be behind-hand with them; I would soon repay them." The apostle quotes this for the silencing of all flesh in God's presence, Rom 11:35. Who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed to him again? As God does not inflict upon us the evils we have deserved, so he does bestow upon us the favours we have not deserved. 2. That he is the rightful Lord and owner of all the creatures: "Whatsoever is under the whole heaven, animate or inanimate, is mine (and particularly this leviathan), at my command and disposal, what I have an incontestable property in and dominion over." All is his; we are his, all we have and do; and therefore we cannot make God our debtor; but of thy own, Lord, have we given thee. All is his, and therefore, if he were indebted to any, he has wherewithal to repay them; the debt is in good hands. All is his, and therefore he needs not our services, nor can he be benefited by them. If I were hungry I would not tell thee, for the world is mind and the fulness thereof, Psa 50:12.
II. The proof and illustration of it, from the wonderful structure of the leviathan, Job 41:12.
1.The parts of his body, the power he exerts, especially when he is set upon, and the comely proportion of the whole of him, are what God will not conceal, and therefore what we must observe and acknowledge the power of God in. Though he is a creature of monstrous bulk, yet there is in him a comely proportion. In our eye beauty lies in that which is small (inest sua gratia parvis - little things have a gracefulness all their own) because we ourselves are so; but in God's eye even the leviathan is comely; and, if he pronounce even the whale, event he crocodile, so, it is not for us to say of any of the works of his hands that they are ugly of ill-favoured; it is enough to say so, as we have cause, of our own works. God here goes about to give us an anatomical view (as it were) of the leviathan; for his works appear most beautiful and excellent, and his wisdom and power appear most in them, when they are taken in pieces and viewed in their several parts and proportions. (1.) The leviathan, even prima facie - at first sight, appears formidable and inaccessible, Job 41:13, Job 41:14. Who dares come so near him while he is alive as to discover or take a distinct view of the face of the garment, the skin with which he is clothed as with a garment, so near him as to bridle him like a horse and so lead him away, so near him as to be within reach of his jaws, which are like a double bridle? Who will venture to look into his mouth, as we do into a horse's mouth? He that opens the doors of his face will see his teeth terrible round about, strong and sharp, and fitted to devour; it would make a man tremble to think of having a leg or an arm between them. (2.) His scales are his beauty and strength, and therefore his pride, Job 41:15-17. The crocodile is indeed remarkable for his scales; if we understand it of the whale, we must understand by these shields (for so the word is) the several coats of his skin; or there might be whales in that country with scales. That which is remarkable concerning the scales is that they stick so close together, by which he is not only kept warm, for no air can pierce him, but kept safe, for no sword can pierce him through those scales. Fishes, that live in the water, are fortified accordingly by the wisdom of Providence, which gives clothes as it gives cold. (3.) He scatters terror with his very breath and looks; if he sneeze or spout up water, it is like a light shining, either with the froth or the light of the sun shining through it, Job 41:18. The eyes of the whale are reported to shine in the night-time like a flame, or, as here, like the eye-lids of the morning; the same they say of the crocodile. The breath of this creature is so hot and fiery, from the great natural heat within, that burning lamps and sparks of fire, smoke and a flame, are said to go out of his mouth, even such as one would think sufficient to set coals on fire, Job 41:19-21. Probably these hyperbolical expressions are used concerning the leviathan to intimate the terror of the wrath of God, for that is it which all this is designed to convince us of. Fire out of his mouth devours, Psa 18:7, Psa 18:8. The breath of the Almighty, like a stream of brimstone, kindles Tophet, and will for ever keep it burning, Isa 30:33. The wicked one shall be consumed with the breath of his mouth, Th2 2:8. (4.) He is of invincible strength and most terrible fierceness, so that he frightens all that come in his way, but is not himself frightened by any. Take a view of his neck, and there remains strength, Job 41:22. his head and his body are well set together. Sorrow rejoices (or rides in triumph) before him, for he makes terrible work wherever he comes. Or, Those storms which are the sorrow of others are his joys; what is tossing to others is dancing to him. His flesh is well knit, Job 41:23. The flakes of it are joined so closely together, and are so firm, that it is hard to pierce it; he is as if he were all bone. His flesh is of brass, which Job had complained his was not, Job 6:12. His heart is as firm as a stone, Job 41:24. He has spirit equal to his bodily strength, and, though he is bulky, he is sprightly, and not unwieldy. As his flesh and skin cannot be pierced, so his courage cannot be daunted; but, on the contrary, he daunts all he meets and puts them into a consternation (Job 41:25): When he raises up himself like a moving mountain in the great waters even the mighty are afraid lest he should overturn their ships or do them some other mischief. By reason of the breakings he makes in the water, which threaten death, they purify themselves, confess their sins, betake themselves to their prayers, and get ready for death. We read (Job 3:8) of those who, when they raise up a leviathan, are in such a fright that they curse the day. It was a fear which, it seems, used to drive some to their curses and others to their prayers; for, as now, so then there were seafaring men of different characters and on whom the terrors of the sea have contrary effects; but all agree there is a great fright among them when the leviathan raises up himself. (5.) All the instruments of slaughter that are used against him do him no hurt and therefore are not error to him, Job 41:26-29. The sword and the spear, which wound nigh at hand, are nothing to him; the darts, arrows, and sling-stones, which wound at a distance, do him no damage; nature has so well armed him cap-a-pie - at all points, against them all. The defensive weapons which men use when they engage with the leviathan, as the habergeon, or breast-plate, often serve men no more than their offensive weapons; iron and brass are to him as straw and rotten wood, and he laughs at them. It is the picture of a hard-hearted sinner, that despises the terrors of the Almighty and laughs at all the threatenings of his word. The leviathan so little dreads the weapons that are used against him that, to show how hardy he is, he chooses to lie on the sharp stones, the sharp-pointed things (Job 41:30), and lies as easy there as if he lay on the soft mire. Those that would endure hardness must inure themselves to it. (6.) His very motion in the water troubles it and puts it into a ferment, Job 41:31, Job 41:32. When he rolls, and tosses, and makes a stir in the water, or is in pursuit of his prey, he makes the deep to boil like a pot, he raises a great froth and foam upon the water, such as is upon a boiling pot, especially a pot of boiling ointment; and he makes a path to shine after him, which even a ship in the midst of the sea does not, Pro 30:19. One may trace the leviathan under water by the bubbles on the surface; and yet who can take that advantage against him in pursuing him? Men track hares in the snow and kill them, but he that tracks the leviathan dares not come near him.
2.Having given this particular account of his parts, and his power, and his comely proportion, he concludes with four things in general concerning this animal: - (1.) That he is a non-such among the inferior creatures: Upon earth there is not his like, Job 41:33. No creature in this world is comparable to him for strength and terror. Or the earth is here distinguished from the sea: His dominion is not upon the earth (so some), but in the waters. None of all the savage creatures upon earth come near him for bulk and strength, and it is well for man that he is confined to the waters and there has a watch set upon him (Job 7:12) by the divine Providence, for, if such a terrible creature were allowed to roam and ravage upon this earth, it would be an unsafe and uncomfortable habitation for the children of men, for whom it is intended. (2.) That he is more bold and daring than any other creature whatsoever: He is made without fear. The creatures are as they are made; the leviathan has courage in his constitution, nothing can frighten him; other creatures, quite contrary, seem as much designed for flying as this for fighting. So, among men, some are in their natural temper bold, others are timorous. (3.) That he is himself very proud; though lodged in the deep, yet he beholds all high things, Job 41:34. The rolling waves, the impending rocks, the hovering clouds, and the ships under sail with top and top-gallant, this mighty animal beholds with contempt, for he does not think they either lessen him or threaten him. Those that are great are apt to be scornful. (4.) That he is a king over all the children of pride, that is, he is the proudest of all proud ones. He has more to be proud of (so Mr. Caryl expounds it) than the proudest people in the world have; and so it is a mortification to the haughtiness and lofty looks of men. Whatever bodily accomplishments men are proud of, and puffed up with, the leviathan excels them and is a king over them. Some read it so as to understand it of God: He that beholds all high things, even he, is King over all the children of pride; he can tame the behemoth (Job 40:19) and the leviathan, big as they are, and stout-hearted as they are. This discourse concerning those two animals was brought in to prove that it is God only who can look upon proud men and abase them, bring them low and tread them down, and hide them in the dust (Job 40:11-13), and so it concludes with a quod erat demonstrandum - which was to be demonstrated; there is one that beholds all high things, and, wherein men deal proudly, is above them; he is King over all the children of pride, whether brutal or rational, and can make them all either bend or break before him, Isa 2:11. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and thus the Lord alone shall be exalted.
“In its neck” means in arrogant self-estimation; “its strength abides,” because it does not stand still but always overestimates itself. The souls that advance with a high neck (as is confirmed by Isaiah) are [like the devil’s] neck, because they have the power to deceive. But such a power is vain; indeed, the weakness that my Savior and Lord assumed for me, which is called the weakness of God, completely defeated that power.
11. For the heart of the ancient enemy will be hardened as a stone, because it will never be softened by any penitence of conversion. And because he will be fitted only for the blows of eternal punishment, it is rightly immediately added;
And he will be bound as the anvil of the hammerer.
For the hammerer puts up an anvil fitted to receive blows only. For an anvil is erected for the very purpose of being struck with frequent blows. Leviathan therefore will be bound as the anvil of the hammerer, because he will be confined by the chains of hell, in order to be beaten with the continual blows of eternal punishment. And he is struck also even now, when any of the just are saved, as he is watching in ambush, but wasting away with pain. But in an anvil other vessels are wrought into shape, while the anvil itself by its many blows is not changed into a vessel of another kind. This Leviathan is therefore rightly compared to an anvil, because we are wrought into shape by his persecutions, but he is both always struck, and is never changed into a useful vessel. We abandon him to eternal blows, and we, who have been smitten through his temptation by the hand of the heavenly Artificer, come out by his means properly shaped vessels. For on him we are beaten, but it is that we may come into use for the House above. But he is bound as an anvil, because, though he now goes about the world with his temptations, yet when placed in the pit, under the blow of his sentence, he wanders no more.
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SUMMARY
Job 41:24 vividly portrays the impenetrable nature of Leviathan, a formidable creature presented by God to Job as a testament to divine omnipotence. This verse underscores Leviathan's core strength and resilience, likening its heart to the unyielding hardness of stone and, more profoundly, to the nether millstone—the most durable part of an ancient grinding mechanism. Through this description, God impresses upon Job the creature's untamable power, thereby magnifying His own unparalleled sovereignty over all creation, even the most chaotic and fearsome elements.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 41:24 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey Leviathan's formidable nature. The most prominent is Simile, where Leviathan's "heart" is explicitly compared to two distinct objects: "as firm as a stone" and "as hard as a piece of the nether millstone." These comparisons are not merely descriptive but serve to impress upon the listener the creature's unparalleled invulnerability. The progression from the general "stone" to the specific and more durable "nether millstone" demonstrates Climax or Intensification, building the image of hardness to its ultimate degree. Furthermore, the description borders on Hyperbole, exaggerating the creature's imperviousness to emphasize its untamable power and, by extension, God's even greater power in controlling it. This vivid Imagery evokes a clear mental picture of an unyielding, unbreakable being, reinforcing the theological message of divine sovereignty over all creation, even the most terrifying and seemingly unconquerable forces.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 41:24, in its depiction of Leviathan's impervious heart, serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of God's power and humanity's place within creation. The creature's unyielding strength symbolizes the chaotic and untamable forces of the world that are utterly beyond human control or comprehension. By creating and controlling such a being, God demonstrates His absolute sovereignty over all things, including the most fearsome and destructive elements. This challenges Job's limited perspective on suffering and justice, revealing that God's wisdom and power far exceed human understanding. The message is clear: if humanity cannot contend with a mere creature of God's making, how much less can it contend with the Creator Himself? This truth fosters humility and trust, reminding believers that the God who reigns over the "Leviathans" of chaos also holds all of life's challenges firmly in His hand, even those that seem as hard and unyielding as a nether millstone.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The formidable description of Leviathan's impervious heart in Job 41:24 invites us to reflect deeply on our own posture before the Almighty God. Just as Job was humbled by the sheer power of God's creation, we too are called to recognize the vast chasm between our limited understanding and God's infinite wisdom and omnipotence. This verse serves as a powerful reminder that there are forces and realities in the world, both physical and spiritual, that are utterly beyond our control or comprehension. Yet, the God who created and commands even the most untamable "Leviathans" is the same God who holds our lives in His hands. This should cultivate a profound sense of humility, prompting us to surrender our anxieties and perceived control, and instead place our unwavering trust in His sovereign care. When faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges—problems as "hard as a nether millstone"—this passage encourages us to look beyond the obstacle to the God who is infinitely greater, capable of subduing all things, and whose power is our ultimate refuge and hope.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is Leviathan a literal creature or symbolic?
Answer: While the precise identity of Leviathan (whether a specific animal like a crocodile or a whale, or a purely mythical beast) is debated, its primary function in the book of Job is symbolic. It represents the ultimate untamed power and chaos in creation, a creature so formidable that no human can contend with it. God uses Leviathan, alongside Behemoth, to illustrate His own unparalleled power and sovereignty over all things, both natural and potentially supernatural. The detailed description emphasizes its imperviousness and terrifying might, serving as a powerful metaphor for the forces of chaos that only God can control. Therefore, whether it was a literal creature or a mythical one, its theological purpose is to magnify God's omnipotence and humble Job, as Job himself acknowledges God's unchallengeable power in Job 42:2.
What is a "nether millstone" and why is it used as a comparison?
Answer: A "nether millstone" refers to the lower, stationary stone of an ancient grinding mill. In contrast to the upper stone, which rotated, the nether stone was fixed and bore the brunt of the grinding action, enduring immense pressure and friction. For this reason, it had to be made of the hardest, most durable material available, often a type of volcanic rock like basalt or granite. When Job 41:24 compares Leviathan's heart to a "piece of the nether millstone," it is using a superlative simile to convey the ultimate degree of hardness, resilience, and imperviousness. It signifies that Leviathan's core being is unyielding, unbreakable, and utterly resistant to any external force, making it an apt metaphor for a creature that only God can master. This imagery would have been immediately understood by an ancient audience as the pinnacle of durability and resistance.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Job 41:24 describes the formidable power of Leviathan, a creature symbolizing chaos and untamable forces, its ultimate fulfillment is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Leviathan, often interpreted as a representation of primeval chaos, evil, or even the forces of death and the grave, finds its true conqueror in the Son of God. Just as God demonstrates His sovereignty over this seemingly invincible creature, so too does Christ manifest God's ultimate dominion over all spiritual and physical powers. The "firmness" and "hardness" of Leviathan's heart, impenetrable to human effort, are utterly subdued by Christ's divine authority. He is the one who calms the raging seas, demonstrating power over the very elements associated with chaos (Mark 4:39). More profoundly, Christ's death and resurrection represent His decisive victory over the ultimate "Leviathan" of sin and death, breaking their power and rendering them no longer insurmountable (Colossians 2:15). Through His atoning work, the heart of humanity, once hardened by sin and rebellion, can be transformed by His grace, receiving a new heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). Thus, the untamable power described in Job 41:24 ultimately points to the infinitely greater, redemptive power of Christ, who has triumphed over all that opposes God and offers true freedom and new life to those who trust in Him (John 8:36).