Job 41:18 kjv
By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
Job 41:18 nkjv
His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
Job 41:18 niv
Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
Job 41:18 esv
His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.
Job 41:18 nlt
"When it sneezes, it flashes light!
Its eyes are like the red of dawn.
Job 41 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 74:13-14 | You divided the sea by Your strength... You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces... | God's sovereign power over chaos and great sea creatures. |
| Isa 27:1 | In that day the LORD with His severe sword, strong and great, will punish Leviathan... | God's ultimate judgment and control over Leviathan, seen as a powerful evil force. |
| Psa 89:8-10 | O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty like You... You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves arise, You still them. | God's supreme power over all creation, including chaotic elements like the sea. |
| Psa 104:26 | There go the ships; There is that Leviathan Which You have made to play there. | Leviathan exists as part of God's vast and diverse creation, affirming God's creativity. |
| Job 40:19 | He is the first of the ways of God... | Refers to Behemoth, another creature demonstrating God's supreme creative power. |
| Gen 1:3 | Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. | God's original creative act demonstrates power over light and darkness. |
| Psa 19:1 | The heavens declare the glory of God... | Creation itself testifies to God's glorious power and wisdom. |
| Psa 24:1 | The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. | God's absolute ownership and sovereignty over all creation. |
| Ex 19:16 | there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud... and the sound of the trumpet... | Divine manifestations often include displays of light, thunder, and power. |
| Num 16:35 | And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men... | God's power demonstrated through fire as judgment or an awe-inspiring presence. |
| 2 Sam 22:13 | From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled. | God's powerful and brilliant presence described with intense light and heat. |
| Psa 97:4 | His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. | God's majestic and sovereign actions often include dramatic displays of light. |
| Pro 15:3 | The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good. | God's all-seeing nature, his pervasive and penetrating gaze. |
| Hab 3:3-4 | His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light... | God's divine presence radiates light and power, full of glory. |
| Eze 29:3-5 | "Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh, King of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers..." | Powerful earthly rulers compared to monstrous creatures controlled by God. |
| Jn 1:4-5 | In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness... | Christ as the divine source of light, spiritual clarity, and life. |
| Rev 21:23 | The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light. | God and Christ are the ultimate source of light, eclipsing created light. |
| Isa 60:1 | Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. | God's light and glory extended to His people, dispelling darkness. |
| Psa 139:11-12 | Even the darkness shall not hide from You... The darkness and the light are both alike to You. | God's all-knowing nature, where even darkness cannot obscure His sight. |
| Nah 1:4 | He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers... | God's absolute power to control and subdue natural forces like water. |
| Job 42:1-2 | Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that You can do everything..." | Job's ultimate response of humility and acknowledgment of God's unlimited power after hearing God's discourse. |
| Rom 1:20 | For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen... | God's power and divine nature are evident through His created works. |
| Heb 4:13 | And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him... | Emphasizes God's all-seeing omniscience over all creation. |
Job 41 verses
Job 41 18 Meaning
Job 41:18 vividly describes Leviathan, a creature whose very breath or forceful expulsion of air generates light, akin to flashing fire or brilliant sparks. Furthermore, its eyes are depicted as glowing with the intensity and piercing brightness of the morning's first rays, signifying an inescapable and powerful gaze. This hyperbolic and majestic imagery serves to illustrate the creature's terrifying power, unparalleled among earthly beings, yet entirely under the control of God, thereby humbling Job by demonstrating the immeasurable superiority of divine might and wisdom.
Job 41 18 Context
Job 41:18 is situated within God's second speech to Job, specifically His detailed description of the majestic and fearsome creature Leviathan (Job 41:1-34). Preceding this, God had presented Job with the mysteries of the natural world and questioned his ability to manage creation (Job 38-39), followed by a challenge concerning the creature Behemoth (Job 40:15-24). The entire speech, including the depiction of Leviathan, serves to profoundly humble Job, demonstrating that if he cannot contend with such a mighty creature—one of God's creations—then he is utterly unqualified to question the wisdom, justice, or power of the Almighty Creator Himself. Historically, this divine discourse stands as a strong polemic against contemporary Near Eastern myths where deities struggled with or were challenged by primordial chaos monsters. God's description of effortlessly managing and creating Leviathan asserts His unparalleled and uncontested sovereignty over all cosmic and earthly powers.
Job 41 18 Word analysis
- His sneezings (הֲטִישֹׁותָיו - hatiyshoṭayv): This is not a human sneeze. It denotes a powerful, explosive exhalation, perhaps like a snort or forceful expulsion of air from the nostrils or mouth. The word carries a sense of an eruptive force, here connected with fire. In the ancient world, powerful creatures were sometimes depicted exhaling smoke or fire, suggesting a primordial "fire-breather."
- flash forth (תָּהֵל - tahel): This verb means "to glow," "to beam," "to shine," or "to give light." It indicates an active emission or emanation of light, rather than a passive reflection. It implies brilliance and intensity, suggesting sparks, flames, or a phosphorescent quality accompanying the powerful breath.
- light (אֹור - ’or): The general Hebrew word for light. In this context, it is associated with intense heat and power, indicating something akin to fire or superheated vapor that glows with fearsome brilliance. It emphasizes the awe-inspiring and potentially destructive nature of Leviathan's "sneeze."
- his eyes (עֵינָיו - ‘eynav): Refers to the creature's organs of sight. In symbolic and poetic language, eyes often represent understanding, perception, or a powerful gaze. Here, they contribute to the overall impression of terror and alertness.
- like the eyelids (בְּרַפְרַפֵּי - bərafrûfê): This term is derived from a root meaning "to tremble" or "to flutter," usually referring to eyelids. However, in this metaphorical context, it’s not just about the physical lid. It evokes the first, subtle yet compelling and expanding, light that breaks forth at dawn. It captures the essence of a radiating or intensely piercing light that spreads.
- of the dawn (שָׁחַר - shāḥar): The early morning light, just before or at sunrise. Dawn represents inevitability, breaking through darkness with ever-increasing intensity. Comparing Leviathan's eyes to "the eyelids of the dawn" powerfully conveys their piercing, brilliant, inescapable, and awe-inspiring nature, perhaps also their formidable ability to perceive anything, even in perceived darkness.
Words-group analysis:
- "His sneezings flash forth light": This hyperbole portrays Leviathan as a creature of immense power, whose very respiration manifests as light or fire. It conjures an image of a monstrous dragon or a volcano, emitting explosive bursts of luminous, fiery vapor or particles. This emphasizes a terrifying vitality and inherent power that makes it a formidable force.
- "and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn": This powerful metaphor illustrates Leviathan's gaze as intensely bright, clear, and inescapable, similar to the relentless breaking of morning light that dispels all shadows. It implies that nothing can be hidden from its vision, conveying a sense of profound clarity, unwavering vigilance, and perhaps an intimidating, burning intensity within its gaze, reflecting its primordial power.
Job 41 18 Bonus section
- The dramatic imagery employed for Leviathan highlights that divine wisdom encompasses more than moral rectitude or just governance; it includes the breathtaking and fearsome power manifested in the very structure and creatures of creation.
- God's vivid descriptions in Job 40-41 serve as a sustained rhetorical onslaught designed to overcome Job's limited human perspective, showing that the cosmos operates on a scale and with complexities far beyond Job's comprehension or control.
Job 41 18 Commentary
Job 41:18 forms part of God's climactic argument for His unchallenged sovereignty, using the formidable Leviathan as a testament to His own incomprehensible power. The verse's description of the creature's glowing exhalations and dazzling, dawn-like eyes is not mere zoological detail; it is profound theological rhetoric. It asserts that Leviathan possesses such immense, primal energy—its sneezings like lightning, its eyes like the blazing sunrise—that it exists entirely beyond human control or understanding. By presenting Job with a creation so terrifying and utterly unmanageable by any human force, God subtly yet firmly illustrates His own, infinitely greater power. This portrayal humbles Job, inviting him not to question divine governance but to simply stand in awe of a God who not only creates such terrifying majesty but controls it effortlessly. The passage thus aims to inspire worship and quiet submission rather than intellectual dissection or complaint.