Job 41 31

Job 41:31 kjv

He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

Job 41:31 nkjv

He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.

Job 41:31 niv

It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.

Job 41:31 esv

He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.

Job 41:31 nlt

"Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion.
It stirs the depths like a pot of ointment.

Job 41 verses

Job 41 31 Meaning

Job 41:31 vividly portrays the immense and disruptive power of Leviathan, a creature crafted by God. The verse states that Leviathan churns and heats the deepest waters as if they were a mere pot on a fire, and it makes the vast sea itself turbulent, like a perfumer's pot violently mixing its contents. This description underscores Leviathan's untamed strength, demonstrating that even the mightiest and most unyielding aspects of creation—the deep and the sea—are effortlessly disturbed by its presence. This, in turn, magnifies God's own supreme power, wisdom, and sovereignty in being able to create and control such a formidable being. The imagery highlights God's authority over forces beyond human comprehension or dominion, humbling Job and showcasing divine majesty.

Job 41 31 Context

Job 41:31 is part of God's climactic second speech to Job, specifically within the extended description of Leviathan (Job 40:25-41:26 or Job 41 in some translations). God began challenging Job in chapter 38 by revealing His own infinite wisdom and power through creation, asking questions Job could not answer about the universe's design and maintenance. This segment concerning Behemoth and Leviathan serves as the ultimate demonstration of God's incomprehensible might.

The passage contrasts God's effortless dominion over the most formidable creatures with Job's utter inability to even approach, let alone control, Leviathan. By describing Leviathan's raw, untamed power over the vast deep and turbulent sea, God underscores that if Job cannot even subdue this single creature of His hand, how could Job possibly contend with the Almighty Creator Himself? The immediate context emphasizes the futility of human pride and Job's presumption in questioning divine justice or wisdom. The deep (Hebrew: mətsûlâ) and the sea (Hebrew: yām) historically carried connotations of chaos and uncontrollable forces in the ancient Near East, which deities often struggled to master. Here, God shows He creates beings that can casually manipulate such vastness, powerfully affirming His unchallengeable sovereignty and wisdom.

Job 41 31 Word analysis

• He makes (יָקִיחַ - yaḳiaḥ): This verb means to "make boil," "churn," "stir up," or even "vomit forth." It denotes a violent and active disturbance, suggesting Leviathan isn't merely moving through the deep, but actively and powerfully transforming its state. It underscores Leviathan's agency and strength to cause such disruption.
• the deep (מְצוּלָה - mətsûlâ): Refers to the lowest depths, the abyssal waters, the deepest part of the sea. In ancient thought, the deep often symbolized untamed, primordial forces or chaos. Leviathan's power is shown here over that which is naturally formidable and inaccessible to humans.
• boil like a pot (כַּסִּיר - kaṣṣîr): The word kasṣîr refers to a common cooking pot or kettle. The simile conveys the image of a body of water—the immense and often terrifying "deep"—being reduced to something easily heated and agitated, like water on a stove. This illustrates the effortlessness and thoroughness of Leviathan's disruption, reducing the grand scale of the deep to a manageable, disturbed entity.
• he makes the sea (יָם יָשִׂים - yām yāśîm): Yām is the general word for "sea." Yāśîm means "he puts" or "he makes." This phrase parallels the first part of the verse, reinforcing Leviathan's active role in transforming the state of the water. It extends the concept of disturbance from the deep to the vast expanse of the sea itself.
• like a pot of ointment (כַּמֶּרְקָחָה - kammɛrqāḥâ): Mirqaḥâ refers to a perfumer's pot or a vessel for preparing unguents or ointments. This specific pot was used for vigorously mixing or boiling ingredients to create perfumes or medicines, often implying a frothing or bubbling process. The imagery here is not about the fragrance but the vigorous, transformative agitation that changes the consistency or nature of the liquid, turning the smooth sea into a churned, turbid, perhaps effervescent concoction. This detailed comparison further illustrates the completeness of Leviathan's power to disturb even the vast ocean.

Words-group analysis:

• "He makes the deep boil like a pot": This phrase establishes Leviathan's absolute power over the natural order. It takes the most profound and terrifying element (the deep sea) and portrays it as entirely manipulable by Leviathan, transforming something immense into a confined, boiling entity. It deconstructs the common understanding of natural boundaries and forces.
• "he makes the sea like a pot of ointment": This expands the scope of Leviathan's power from the deep to the entire sea, confirming its wide-ranging impact. The "pot of ointment" image reinforces the idea of intense, transformative churning and mixing. It suggests not merely surface disruption but a profound internal agitation, affecting the very essence and state of the water. This highlights a seemingly alchemical power of internal transformation beyond human understanding or capability.

Job 41 31 Bonus section

• The dual imagery of a common "pot" and a "perfumer's pot" subtly conveys a spectrum of disturbance. The "pot" emphasizes the physical boiling and transformation of scale (immense deep becomes a small pot). The "perfumer's pot" (or "pot of ointment") zeroes in on the intense, almost deliberate internal mixing and frothing, showing not just external agitation but a complete disarray of the water's state.
• This verse can be seen as a polemic against ancient Near Eastern myths that portrayed gods struggling mightily with primordial chaos monsters associated with the sea. God here presents His creature, Leviathan, as effortlessly dominating the chaotic deep, thus indirectly showcasing His own inherent, unchallenged power over all such forces, without even needing a struggle. His sovereignty is not won but inherent.
• The description of Leviathan and its effect on the deep provides a vivid counterpoint to Job's earlier questioning of divine justice. God's point is not to provide explanations for suffering, but to establish His absolute authority, wisdom, and the immeasurability of His being, making any human critique appear trivial and ignorant by comparison.

Job 41 31 Commentary

Job 41:31 serves as a profound capstone to God's revelation of Leviathan, firmly grounding Job in the reality of divine power. The verse emphasizes that Leviathan is a creature whose mere movement so thoroughly agitates the ocean's immense depths that it transforms them into turbulent, boiling masses, likened to small, domestic pots. This showcases an unfathomable natural strength. The imagery is carefully chosen to convey both power and complete dominion over an element that humans perceive as vast and unconquerable. The "pot of ointment" particularly illustrates the violent, thorough churning required to concoct a mixture, symbolizing how Leviathan utterly mixes and disrupts the sea from within.

The theological significance extends far beyond zoological description. By highlighting Leviathan's unparalleled mastery over the mətsûlâ (the deep, symbolic of primordial chaos) and the yām (the sea), God unequivocally demonstrates His own even greater sovereignty. If Job is overwhelmed by the might of a created being, how much more should he stand in awe of the Creator who fashioned it? This challenges human attempts to quantify or control divine action and wisdom, humbling Job by presenting a physical manifestation of God's untamed power that Job can neither comprehend nor confront. It underscores that God's ways are beyond human measure, providing comfort in God's absolute control over chaos and challenging reliance on limited human understanding.