Job 40 11

Job 40:11 kjv

Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.

Job 40:11 nkjv

Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.

Job 40:11 niv

Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low,

Job 40:11 esv

Pour out the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.

Job 40:11 nlt

Give vent to your anger.
Let it overflow against the proud.

Job 40 verses

Job 40 11 Meaning

Job 40:11 is part of God’s second rhetorical challenge to Job, aimed at demonstrating Job’s inadequacy and God’s incomparable power and sovereignty. God demands Job to, if he considers himself capable, unleash the fullness of his own wrath upon all the proud and bring them low. This command highlights the vast gulf between Job’s limited power and wisdom, and God's supreme authority and ability to administer perfect justice and humble the arrogant. It implies that the capacity to utterly subdue cosmic evil and human pride belongs to God alone.

Job 40 11 Context

Job 40:11 falls within the concluding section of the book of Job, specifically during God's second and final speech from the whirlwind (chapters 38-41). After Job has expressed a desire to present his case before God and questioned God's justice, the Almighty directly addresses Job’s complaints. God initiates a series of rhetorical questions and challenges that profoundly expose the vast difference between His omnipotent knowledge, power, and sovereign control, and Job’s finite understanding and limited capabilities. Chapters 38-39 establish God’s mastery over creation. Chapter 40 then pivots to Job’s earlier claims (Job 29-31) of righteousness and his implicit desire to judge God or establish divine justice. Verses 9-10 explicitly challenge Job to adorn himself with divine glory and authority, a necessary precondition for the task presented in verse 11. This verse, along with the subsequent descriptions of Behemoth and Leviathan (Job 40:15-41:34), underscores that if Job cannot even control creation’s most powerful creatures, he certainly cannot govern the moral universe, subdue human pride, or perfectly administer justice as God does. The historical context involves ancient Near Eastern debates about divine justice, the nature of suffering, and humanity's place in the cosmic order. God's response to Job subtly polemicizes against human hubris and any philosophy that posits man's ability to fully comprehend or correct divine governance.

Job 40 11 Word analysis

• Pour out (שָׁפָךְ - shapach): This Hebrew verb means "to pour out," "to spill," or "to shed." It denotes a full, unrestrained discharge or release. When used in the context of wrath or judgment, it implies an overwhelming and complete expression of indignation, not a controlled or measured response. God challenges Job to unleash this profound level of overwhelming force, indicating the scale of divine wrath, which Job obviously cannot replicate.
• the overflowings (עֶבְרוֹת - evrot): This noun is the plural of עֶבְרָה (evrah), meaning "overflow," "wrath," "fury," or "rage." The plural intensifies the meaning, suggesting an abundance, an overflowing measure, or the full tide of one's fury. It implies wrath that knows no bounds or holds nothing back, a consuming, overwhelming anger that achieves its purpose without faltering. God’s demand emphasizes that if Job were truly God, his wrath would be absolute and inescapable for the wicked.
• of your anger (אַפְּךָ - appka): This refers to Job's own "nose" or "nostril," which in Hebrew idiom is often used for "anger," "wrath," or "face" due to the flaring of the nostrils during intense emotion. The crucial point here is the possessive "your" (־ךָ - ka). God is challenging Job to pour out his own (Job's) anger, not God's. This highlights Job’s personal inadequacy; he lacks the righteous wrath and power to enact perfect justice on a cosmic scale.
• and look on (רְאֵה - re'eh): This is the imperative form of the verb "to see" or "to look." It means "Behold!" or "Look upon!" God is commanding Job not just to observe passively but to actively perceive and confront. This word sets the stage for Job’s subsequent action: identifying those to whom his anger should be directed.
• everyone who is proud (כָּל־גֵאֶה - kol-ge'eh):
  • everyone (כָּל־ - kol): Means "all" or "every," emphasizing totality. God isn’t asking Job to humble just some proud individuals, but every single one of them—a task only divine omnipresence and omnipotence could accomplish.
  • proud (גֵאֶה - ge'eh): This adjective means "proud," "arrogant," "haughty," or "exalted." It refers to those who are high-minded, presumptuous, or insolent, often defying God or lording it over others. Pride is a recurring theme in the Bible as the root of many sins and is directly opposed by God. God is challenging Job's ability to truly discern the proud and then to act against them comprehensively.
• and humble him (וְהַשְׁפִּילֵהוּ - vehashefil'ehu):
  • and (וְ - ve): Connects the two commands: "look and then humble."
  • humble him (הַשְׁפִּילֵהוּ - hashefil'ehu): This is the Hiphil (causative) imperative of the verb שָׁפַל (shaphal), meaning "to be low" or "to sink." The Hiphil form means "to cause to be low," "to bring down," "to abase," "to humble," or "to humiliate." It is a decisive action of stripping someone of their elevated status or self-importance. God challenges Job to personally execute this universal judgment on pride.

• "Pour out the overflowings of your anger": This phrase emphasizes the limitless extent of righteous indignation that God possesses, contrasting sharply with human anger which is often uncontrolled, selfish, and finite in its effectiveness. The use of "overflowings" (plural and intense) indicates an absolute, comprehensive outpouring. The challenge lies in Job’s inability to muster such overwhelming, decisive wrath.
• "look on everyone who is proud and humble him": This command outlines the precise execution of cosmic justice. It highlights two divine prerogatives: first, the perfect discernment to identify every proud individual, and second, the universal power to effectually humble each one. The task is beyond human capability, as humans cannot see all, nor possess the power to overcome the inherent pride of every heart. This group of words serves as a direct retort to any human presumption of being able to fully correct or administer justice in the world.

Job 40 11 Bonus section

The passage here directly connects to the "divine warrior" motif found throughout the Old Testament, where God is depicted as the ultimate victor over evil and pride, often associated with cosmic forces (like the chaotic waters or mighty beasts) and rebellious human entities. Job's challenge to "deck himself with glory" and "humble the proud" (Job 40:10-11) sets the stage for the subsequent descriptions of Behemoth and Leviathan (Job 40:15-41:34). If Job cannot even subdue these immense creatures, symbols of creation's raw, untamed power (or possibly mythological symbols of cosmic disorder), how can he possibly "humble every proud man"? This provides a compelling, visually stark illustration of human limitations in the face of both creation and the deeper spiritual problem of human arrogance. The rhetorical structure functions as a comprehensive unmasking of Job's limitations, drawing him into humble silence before the vastness of God's power and wisdom.

Job 40 11 Commentary

Job 40:11 encapsulates the essence of God's overwhelming rhetorical challenge to Job. God effectively tells Job, "If you truly believe you can set the world aright, if you can embody divine power, then prove it. Unleash a boundless, consuming anger – not human temper, but righteous indignation – upon every proud person you encounter, and decisively bring them low." This command is not a literal instruction for Job, but a profoundly revealing question that underscores Job's absolute inability to fulfill such a cosmic task. Job lacks the infinite vision to identify every proud individual, the omnipresent power to reach everyone, and the pure, righteous wrath to judge without partiality or weakness. The verse highlights that only God possesses the divine attributes necessary for universal justice, including omniscient discernment, unlimited power, and perfect, holy wrath. It dismantles any notion of human self-sufficiency or inherent capacity to manage the world's moral order, redirecting Job, and humanity, to acknowledge God's unparalleled sovereignty and unique claim to judge.