Job 40:13 kjv
Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
Job 40:13 nkjv
Hide them in the dust together, Bind their faces in hidden darkness.
Job 40:13 niv
Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave.
Job 40:13 esv
Hide them all in the dust together; bind their faces in the world below.
Job 40:13 nlt
Bury them in the dust.
Imprison them in the world of the dead.
Job 40 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 3:19 | "By the sweat of your face... till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." | Dust and return to ground |
| Psa 7:11 | "God is a righteous judge..." | God as righteous judge |
| Psa 18:27 | "For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down." | God brings down the haughty |
| Psa 34:16 | "The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth." | God against evil, cuts off memory |
| Psa 75:7 | "but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another." | God executes judgment |
| Psa 92:7 | "that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever." | Wicked doomed to destruction |
| Job 9:11-12 | "Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I perceive him not. Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, 'What are you doing?'" | God's inscrutable power |
| Job 17:16 | "Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?" | Dust associated with Sheol/death |
| Job 40:11-12 | "Pour out the overflowing of your anger... look on everyone who is proud and humble him." | Immediate context: Humbling the proud |
| Isa 2:12 | "For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low." | Day of LORD against the proud |
| Isa 25:5 | "For you have humbled the noise of the foreigners, the noise of the tyrants, like heat in a dry place." | God humbles tyrants |
| Jer 13:9 | "Thus says the LORD: 'Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.'" | God spoils pride |
| Ezek 21:26 | "Remove the turban and take off the crown... The humble will be exalted and the exalted will be humbled." | Exalted humbled |
| Mal 4:1 | "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble." | Arrogant like stubble |
| Matt 23:12 | "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." | Principle of humbling pride |
| Luke 1:52 | "He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate." | God humbles mighty |
| Rom 11:20 | "They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear." | Warning against pride |
| Jas 4:6 | "But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" | God opposes proud |
| Rev 19:15 | "From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron." | God's ultimate judgment on nations |
| Gen 1:26-28 | "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image... and let them have dominion...'" | Contrast: Man's delegated dominion vs. God's ultimate dominion |
| Dan 4:37 | "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble." | God's ability to humble the proud |
| Psa 113:5-6 | "Who is like the LORD our God... who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust..." | God's power over high and low |
Job 40 verses
Job 40 13 Meaning
This verse is part of God's second challenge to Job, daring him to exercise divine power and humble the proud. It metaphorically describes the ultimate humiliation and destruction of the wicked or arrogant: to utterly bury them in dust and completely bind or cover their faces, consigning them to a secret, ignominious place. It emphasizes God's unique sovereignty and omnipotence in executing justice against the proud, implying that such actions are entirely beyond human capability.
Job 40 13 Context
Job chapter 40 is part of God's second and conclusive speech to Job, found in Job 38-41. This divine discourse is a direct response to Job's complaints and challenges to God's justice and governance. In this section, God intensely questions Job's understanding and capability, using the formidable creatures Behemoth and Leviathan (Job 40:15-41:34) as ultimate demonstrations of His unparalleled power and wisdom. Verse 13, preceding the description of Behemoth, challenges Job to take on the role of God by asking him to humble the proud, as God Himself does (Job 40:11-12). The implied meaning is that Job, with all his wisdom and suffering, utterly lacks the power and authority to bring down the arrogant and wicked as God can. The verse highlights the infinite chasm between divine omnipotence and human limitation, framing God's unassailable authority in His administration of the world and justice, even when it appears perplexing to human eyes.
Job 40 13 Word analysis
Hide them (הַטְמִנֵ֥ם, haṭ·mi·nêm): Derived from the Hebrew root tāman (טמן), meaning to hide, conceal, or store away. Here, it implies not merely temporary concealment but permanent burial or consigning to oblivion, symbolizing total annihilation or being removed from existence and memory. It speaks to a final, irreversible action.
in the dust (בֶּעָפָ֣ר, be·‘ā·p̄ār): From ‘āpār (עָפָר), meaning dry earth or dust. This imagery universally connotes death, burial, utter lowliness, and return to the earth, as stated in Gen 3:19. In the context of "hiding" someone in the dust, it means burying them completely and definitively, signifying humiliation and demise.
together (יָ֑חַד, yā·ḥaḏ): Indicates unity or simultaneity. This suggests that the action of hiding them in the dust is done comprehensively and perhaps to many individuals at once, emphasizing the totality and scale of the divine judgment.
bind their faces (פְּנֵיהֶ֖ם חֲבֹ֣שׁ, pə·nê·hem ḥă·ḇōš):
- פְּנֵיהֶם (pə·nê·hem): "Their faces." The face (pānîm) in Hebrew culture represents one's presence, identity, honor, and personhood.
- חֲבֹשׁ (ḥă·ḇōš): "Bind," "tie up," or "bandage." From the root ḥāvaš, implying restraint or confinement. To "bind their faces" is a powerful image. It can suggest: blindfolding for execution, covering in shame and disgrace, or physically restraining them to render them powerless, silent, or unseen. This stripping of identity and imposing ignominy underscores complete submission and ultimate humiliation.
in the secret place (בַּסָּֽתֶר, bas·sā·ṯer): From sēter (סֵתֶר), meaning a hiding place, cover, or secret. This could refer to a dungeon, a hidden prison, or symbolically, the depths of Sheol or utter obscurity. It emphasizes that their humiliation and destruction are complete and irreversible, happening in a place beyond view, signifying a definitive end and being completely forgotten.
Words-group analysis:
- "Hide them in the dust together": This phrase paints a vivid picture of total destruction and oblivion. It suggests not just defeat but the ultimate eradication and consigning to nothingness, collectively and without exception.
- "Bind their faces in the secret place": This imagery focuses on complete subjugation, humiliation, and anonymity. Taking away one's face—their public persona and honor—and hiding them away signifies a deep and irreparable disgrace, placing them beyond sight, remembrance, and influence. It speaks to God's ability to deal decisively with all pride and rebellion.
Job 40 13 Bonus section
- The "them" in this verse directly refers to "everyone who is proud" mentioned in the preceding verse (Job 40:12). God challenges Job to take on the divine role of humbling these proud individuals.
- This specific imagery of dealing with the proud aligns with a recurring biblical theme that God "opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (Jas 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5; Psa 18:27). It illustrates the comprehensive and inescapable nature of divine justice for arrogance.
- The mention of "the dust" and "the secret place" could also subtly allude to Sheol or the grave, emphasizing not just death but a lack of remembrance or legacy, which was often a profound cultural fear in the ancient Near East. To be hidden in a "secret place" could imply an undignified burial or no burial at all, which was considered a curse.
- This challenge by God is a polemic against Job's presumptuous arguments that implicitly questioned God's governance. God's point is clear: if Job cannot manage even this ultimate display of power against the proud, how can he possibly critique or understand God's complex management of the world?
Job 40 13 Commentary
Job 40:13 serves as a pivotal challenge in God's discourse to Job, powerfully illustrating the stark contrast between human limitations and divine omnipotence. By inviting Job to "hide them in the dust" and "bind their faces in the secret place," God is asking Job to perform an act of absolute, devastating judgment over the proud—a prerogative solely belonging to the Creator. This verse uses visceral, ancient imagery of triumph over enemies, signifying not just conquest but complete annihilation, public humiliation, and consigning them to ignominy and oblivion. It's a rhetorical question underlining Job's inability to comprehend, let alone replicate, the ultimate power necessary to govern creation and execute cosmic justice. The passage thus reinforces God's supreme authority, not merely over physical creation but over the spiritual and moral order, validating His unsearchable wisdom and sovereignty in His dealings with humanity and all forms of pride.