Job 41:7 kjv
Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?
Job 41:7 nkjv
Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears?
Job 41:7 niv
Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears?
Job 41:7 esv
Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
Job 41:7 nlt
Will its hide be hurt by spears
or its head by a harpoon?
Job 41 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 38:4-5 | "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? ... who determined its measurements?" | God's absolute wisdom and power in creation. |
| Job 40:8-9 | "Will you even put me in the wrong? ... Have you an arm like God’s...?" | Man's inability to challenge God's power. |
| Job 40:19 | "[Behemoth] is the first of the works of God; only his Maker can bring near his sword." | Only God can subdue His mightiest creations. |
| Job 41:1-2 | "Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook...? Can you put a rope in his nose...?" | Introduction to man's inability to tame Leviathan. |
| Job 41:10 | "No one is fierce enough to rouse him." | Leviathan's terrifying strength. |
| Job 41:33-34 | "He is king over all the children of pride... the fiercest of all." | Leviathan as the peak of earthly power. |
| Psa 24:1-2 | "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it... For he founded it..." | God's absolute ownership and dominion over creation. |
| Psa 74:13-14 | "You divided the sea by your might... You crushed the heads of Leviathan..." | God's power over mythical/chaos monsters. |
| Psa 89:9-10 | "You rule the surging sea... You crushed Rahab like one of the slain..." | God's dominion over unruly powers (Rahab is similar to Leviathan). |
| Psa 104:25-26 | "Here is the sea... in it are creatures without number... Leviathan, which you formed to sport in it." | God's mastery over all sea creatures, even Leviathan. |
| Isa 27:1 | "In that day the Lord... will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent..." | God's ultimate defeat of evil/chaos, symbolized by Leviathan. |
| Jer 5:22 | "Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me, who placed the sand as a boundary for the sea...?" | God's control over the unmanageable elements. |
| Prov 1:7 | "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." | Humbling before God's power leads to wisdom. |
| Mark 4:39 | "He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”" | Christ's divine power over creation. |
| Rom 1:20 | "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities... have been clearly seen..." | Creation reveals God's attributes, including power. |
| 1 Cor 1:25 | "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." | Contrast between divine and human power/wisdom. |
| Heb 4:13 | "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight..." | God's omnipotence and omnipresence over all. |
| Rev 20:1-2 | "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven... seize the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil..." | God's ultimate power to bind spiritual enemies (often associated with ancient serpent imagery). |
| Jer 10:12 | "It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom..." | God's power and wisdom in establishing creation. |
| Ps 33:6-7 | "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made... He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap..." | God's effortless power in creating and controlling elements. |
| Gen 1:28 | "Be fruitful and multiply... Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky..." | Original human dominion limited; cannot control ultimate chaos monsters. |
| Ps 19:1 | "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." | God's glory is seen in His creation's majesty and power. |
Job 41 verses
Job 41 7 Meaning
Job 41:7 describes the utter futility of human attempts to harm or capture Leviathan. God asks Job whether he can penetrate Leviathan's formidable skin with sharp, barbed weapons, or subdue its vital head with fishing spears designed to catch creatures of the sea. This rhetorical question powerfully emphasizes Leviathan's impenetrable nature and untameable strength, thereby underscoring humanity's extreme weakness and God's exclusive sovereignty over such mighty creatures, symbolizing His absolute control over the forces of chaos and creation.
Job 41 7 Context
Job 41:7 is part of a lengthy discourse by God to Job, beginning in Job chapter 38. After Job's persistent questions regarding God's justice and wisdom, God does not offer an explanation in human terms. Instead, He embarks on a powerful series of rhetorical questions and descriptions of His creation. This speech highlights God's infinite power and knowledge, contrasting them sharply with Job's finite understanding and limited strength. Chapters 40 and 41 are the climax of this divine speech, focusing on two colossal creatures, Behemoth and Leviathan. These creatures symbolize the greatest powers of the created order, particularly untamed forces of nature. God presents Leviathan (Ch. 41) as an unchallengeable masterpiece, impervious to human weapons or efforts at subjugation. This serves to humble Job, demonstrating that if he cannot even contend with God's creations, how much less can he contend with God Himself or comprehend His cosmic designs. In the broader ancient cultural context, descriptions of powerful sea creatures or chaos monsters often pointed to forces beyond human control; God's detailed description of Leviathan thus establishes His supreme sovereignty over all such formidable powers, countering any notions of rival deities or forces beyond His absolute command.
Job 41 7 Word analysis
- Can you: This interrogative phrase signals a direct challenge from God to Job, emphasizing Job's impotence. It is designed to provoke humility.
- fill: The Hebrew verb is ha-temalle', from mālē'. It implies overwhelming, saturating, or stuffing completely. The question is not just if Job can inflict a single wound, but if he can completely embed harpoons within Leviathan's skin.
- his skin: Hebrew 'oro. Refers to Leviathan's literal hide, but contextually, it represents its impenetrable defense system. It is so tough that it cannot be punctured by typical weaponry.
- with harpoons: The Hebrew is bi-sukkot, stemming from a root associated with covering or interwoven branches (sākaḵ). In this context, it refers to pointed, barbed darts or harpoons. Their design—barbed—is for catching and holding, suggesting an intention to subdue or kill. Leviathan resists even these.
- Or: Connects two parallel lines of questioning, intensifying the challenge. It presents an alternative attack strategy, which also proves futile.
- his head: Hebrew ro'sho. This is the vital command center of any creature. Attacking the head typically aims to disable or kill. Even targeting this most critical area yields no success against Leviathan.
- with fishing spears: The Hebrew is u-ve-tziltzal dagim. Tziltzal refers to a fishing spear or a harpoon that might make a rattling or vibrating sound when used. Dagim means "of fish" or "for fish," clarifying that these are specific instruments designed for catching aquatic creatures. The question here shifts from merely harming to attempts at mastery and capture, which are equally impossible for Job.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- Can you fill his skin with harpoons?: This phrase emphasizes the external, direct assault on Leviathan's protective covering. The challenge highlights the creature's immense durability and Job's complete inability to overcome even its most outward defense. The rhetorical nature makes the answer evident: No.
- Or his head with fishing spears?: This second phrase extends the challenge to a more vulnerable, critical point – the head. It also introduces weapons specifically designed for capture and control of aquatic creatures ("fishing spears"). The juxtaposition of the impenetrable hide and the vital head, both resistant to human efforts to harm or master, paints a comprehensive picture of Leviathan's invincibility and God's exclusive dominion.
Job 41 7 Bonus section
The profound imagery of Leviathan in Job 41, culminating in verses like 41:7, is not merely about an extraordinary animal. It serves as a potent metaphor for any force, seen or unseen, that lies utterly beyond human control or comprehension. In ancient thought, such creatures often embodied chaos, evil, or untameable nature. By detailing Leviathan's invincibility against all human weaponry and stratagem, God establishes Himself as the sole sovereign who not only created such powers but holds them utterly in check. This section of Job is a magnificent theological counter-narrative to any polytheistic beliefs where deities might contend with primordial chaos. Here, God explicitly demonstrates that there is no chaotic force, no earthly power, and certainly no human will, that can stand against His supreme authority. It is a stark reminder that true wisdom lies not in dissecting God's actions, but in humbly recognizing His immeasurable power and unfathomable wisdom revealed through His creation.
Job 41 7 Commentary
Job 41:7, a pivotal part of God's majestic discourse, lays bare humanity's profound limitations in the face of raw, untamed power. God's rhetorical questions about filling Leviathan's skin with harpoons or its head with fishing spears are not seeking an answer; they are compelling Job—and all humanity—to acknowledge their incapacity. Leviathan, often interpreted as symbolizing ultimate natural power or even chaotic forces, is presented as absolutely impenetrable by human design, weapons, or strategy.
The shift from harpoons (for general combat/harm) to "fishing spears for fish" (tools of capture and mastery) underscores the escalating nature of Job's futility. It’s not just that man cannot inflict a mortal wound; he cannot even attempt to capture or tame this creature that exists solely under God's command. This divine presentation effectively silences Job’s questioning of God's ways by demonstrating that Job lacks the capacity to control even one of God’s powerful creatures, let alone judge the Creator of all things. The verse ultimately directs Job—and us—to a posture of humility and reverent awe before the God who alone reigns supreme over all power, visible and unseen. This awe, often called the fear of the Lord, is presented throughout Scripture as the starting point for true wisdom and understanding.