Job 40

Job 40:1-24. God's Second Address.

He had paused for a reply, but Job was silent.

1. the Lord--Hebrew, "Jehovah."

2. he that contendeth--as Job had so often expressed a wish to do. Or, rebuketh. Does Job now still (after seeing and hearing of God's majesty and wisdom) wish to set God right?

answer it--namely, the questions I have asked.

3. Lord--Jehovah.

4. I am (too) vile (to reply). It is a very different thing to vindicate ourselves before God, from what it is before men. Job could do the latter, not the former.

lay ... hand ... upon ... mouth--I have no plea to offer (Job 21:5; Jud 18:19).

5. Once ... twice--oftentimes, more than once (Job 33:14, compare with Job 33:29; Psa 62:11):

I have spoken--namely, against God.

not answer--not plead against Thee.

6. the Lord--Jehovah.

7. (See on Job 38:3). Since Job has not only spoken against God, but accused Him of injustice, God challenges him to try, could he govern the world, as God by His power doth, and punish the proud and wicked (Job 40:7-14).

8. Wilt thou not only contend with, but set aside My judgment or justice in the government of the world?

condemn--declare Me unrighteous, in order that thou mayest be accounted righteous (innocent; undeservingly afflicted).

9. arm--God's omnipotence (Is 53:1).

thunder--God's voice (Job 37:4).

10. See, hast thou power and majesty like God's, to enable thee to judge and govern the world?

11. rage--rather, pour out the redundant floods of, &c.

behold--Try, canst thou, as God, by a mere glance abase the proud (Is 2:12, &c.)?

12. proud--high (Da 4:37).

in their place--on the spot; suddenly, before they can move from their place. (See on Job 34:26; Job 36:20).

13. (Is 2:10). Abase and remove them out of the sight of men.

bind ... faces--that is, shut up their persons [Maurer]. But it refers rather to the custom of binding a cloth over the faces of persons about to be executed (Job 9:24; Es 7:8).

in secret--consign them to darkness.

14. confess--rather, "extol"; "I also," who now censure thee. But since thou canst not do these works, thou must, instead of censuring, extol My government.

thine own ... hand ... save--(Psa 44:3). So as to eternal salvation by Jesus Christ (Is 59:16; 63:5).

15-24. God shows that if Job cannot bring under control the lower animals (of which he selects the two most striking, behemoth on land, leviathan in the water), much less is he capable of governing the world.

behemoth--The description in part agrees with the hippopotamus, in part with the elephant, but exactly in all details with neither. It is rather a poetical personification of the great Pachydermata, or Herbivora (so "he eateth grass"), the idea of the hippopotamus being predominant. In Job 40:17, "the tail like a cedar," hardly applies to the latter (so also Job 40:20, 23, "Jordan," a river which elephants alone could reach, but see on Job 40:23). On the other hand, Job 40:21, 22 are characteristic of the amphibious river horse. So leviathan (the twisting animal), Job 41:1, is a generalized term for cetacea, pythons, saurians of the neighboring seas and rivers, including the crocodile, which is the most prominent, and is often associated with the river horse by old writers. "Behemoth" seems to be the Egyptian Pehemout, "water-ox," Hebraized, so-called as being like an ox, whence the Italian bombarino.

with thee--as I made thyself. Yet how great the difference! The manifold wisdom and power of God!

he eateth grass--marvellous in an animal living so much in the water; also strange, that such a monster should not be carnivorous.