Job 9:13 kjv
If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.
Job 9:13 nkjv
God will not withdraw His anger, The allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him.
Job 9:13 niv
God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet.
Job 9:13 esv
"God will not turn back his anger; beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab.
Job 9:13 nlt
And God does not restrain his anger.
Even the monsters of the sea are crushed beneath his feet.
Job 9 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 76:7 | You, You alone, are to be feared; who can stand before You... | God's formidable presence |
| Ps 89:10 | You crushed Rahab like one who is slain... | God's defeat of chaos/Egypt (Rahab) |
| Isa 51:9-10 | Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord... Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces... | God's power over Rahab/Egypt, creation |
| Isa 30:7 | ...Egypt, whose help is worthless and empty... | Futility of trusting in earthly powers like Egypt |
| Ps 46:6 | The nations raged, the kingdoms tottered; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. | God's absolute control over earthly powers |
| Exod 15:6-7 | Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy... | God's destructive power against enemies |
| Nah 1:6 | Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the heat of His anger? | No one can endure God's wrath |
| Jer 4:4 | ...lest My wrath go forth like fire... | God's wrath compared to unstoppable fire |
| Rom 1:18 | For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness... | God's righteous anger against sin |
| Heb 10:31 | It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. | The fearful prospect of facing God's judgment |
| 2 Thess 1:9 | They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction... | Consequences of divine wrath |
| Rev 6:16-17 | ...Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him... For the great day of their wrath has come... | Hiding from God's inescapable wrath |
| Job 26:12-13 | By His power He quieted the sea... by His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. | God's cosmic power over chaos/leviathan |
| Ps 9:19-20 | Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail... Put them in fear, O Lord... | Plea for God to act, nations to cower |
| Isa 2:19 | And people shall enter the caves of the rocks... from before the terror of the Lord... | Humanity's fear before God's judgment |
| Matt 10:28 | ...rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. | Fearing God's ultimate power and judgment |
| 1 Pet 4:17 | For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God... | God's judgment begins with His people |
| Hab 3:8-10 | Was your wrath against the rivers... Was your indignation against the sea... The mountains saw You and quaked... | God's majestic and terrifying power |
| Isa 45:9 | Woe to him who strives with his Maker... | Futility of challenging God |
| Jer 25:15-16 | ...the cup of the wine of wrath from My hand, and make all the nations... drink it. | Nations cannot avoid God's judgment |
| Job 40:11-12 | Pour out the overflowings of your anger... tread down the wicked where they stand. | Challenge to humans to match God's power |
| Ps 104:6-9 | The waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled... You set a boundary they cannot pass... | God's control over primeval waters |
Job 9 verses
Job 9 13 Meaning
Job 9:13 declares God's unstoppable wrath and omnipotent power, stating that His anger, once unleashed, will not be recalled or diminished. It highlights that even mythical, primordial forces or their supporters—represented by "Rahab"—are utterly subdued and made to cower beneath His absolute dominion, incapable of offering resistance or assistance against Him.
Job 9 13 Context
Job 9:13 is part of Job's first response to Bildad, following his friends' insistence on his guilt as the cause of his suffering. Job, while acknowledging God's righteousness and majesty, laments his own utter inability to contend with or even comprehend God's ways. In this chapter, Job describes God's immeasurable power, wisdom, and the overwhelming nature of His actions in creation and judgment. Job asserts that God acts beyond human comprehension, crushing without consequence (v. 10), passing by unnoticed (v. 11), and seizing without being questioned (v. 12). Verse 13 logically follows this declaration of God's unrestrained omnipotence, emphasizing that if God chooses to express His anger, nothing—not even the most formidable forces of chaos—can deter or withstand Him. It sets a terrifying precedent for anyone, especially a suffering Job, to try to argue or justify himself before such an insurmountable power.
Job 9 13 Word analysis
If/God (אֱל֣וֹהַ / ʾĔlôah): The Hebrew term "ʾĔlôah" emphasizes God's majesty and sovereign power, especially His fearsome and divine nature, fitting for the context of His unchallengeable wrath. This specific form of God's name, used here, highlights His singular divine authority.
His anger (אַפּ֑וֹ / ʾappô): Literally "His nose/face," used idiomatically to denote strong, often sudden, indignation or wrath. The metaphor implies the heated breath expelled from nostrils in fury. It points to a deep, intense, and righteous indignation.
will not turn back (לֹֽא־יָשִׁ֖יב / lôʾ-yāšîḇ): "Loʾ" (not) and "yāšîḇ" (he will cause to return/recall). This conveys an unchangeable and unyielding divine resolve. Once His anger is set in motion, there is no stopping or reversing it; it will run its full course. This emphasizes the finality and inevitability of God's judgment when exercised.
under Him (תַּ֣חְתָּיו / taḥtāyw): "Under him," signifies complete subjugation and abject submission. It paints a picture of being utterly overwhelmed, powerless, and prostate before God's authority.
have stooped (שָׁ֥חֲחוּ / šāḥaḥû): "They have bowed down," "cowered," or "are prostrated." This denotes a forced, terrified, and absolute submission rather than willing worship. It speaks of the utter defeat and fear experienced by those who come under God's irresistible power.
If God's anger: This phrase connects the absolute power of God to a specific divine attribute, His righteous wrath. It means when God decides to act in judgment, no force can cause Him to reconsider or relent. This emphasizes divine autonomy and irresistibility.
the helpers of Rahab: This phrase is highly significant. "Rahab" (רָהַב) primarily refers to a primeval, chaotic sea monster (similar to Leviathan or Tiamat in ANE myths), often used metaphorically for a defiant nation, particularly Egypt, which embodies great worldly power and arrogance in rebellion against God (Isa 30:7; Ps 87:4). "Helpers" (עֹזְרֵ֣י / ʿōzrê) indicates even those powerful forces or nations that supposedly assist or are associated with this mythical embodiment of chaos or human rebellion are equally helpless. The imagery asserts God's sovereignty over cosmic forces and mighty nations, rendering their might and pride utterly futile when facing Him.
Job 9 13 Bonus section
The allusion to "Rahab" in Job 9:13 taps into a rich vein of ancient Near Eastern cosmology, which often depicted a divine struggle with primeval chaos waters or monstrous entities (e.g., Marduk vs. Tiamat). The biblical authors consistently reframe this imagery not as a struggle but as a demonstration of Yahweh's effortless dominion. God does not fight chaos; He merely speaks, and it obeys, or He subdues it without effort. This challenges pagan cosmologies that presented their gods as contending with and barely overcoming chaos. Here, even the helpers of this mythical creature, implying subsidiary powers or allies of ultimate rebellion, "cower." This signifies God's absolute sovereignty not just over the primary embodiment of chaos but over all subordinate forces associated with it, rendering any alliance against Him utterly worthless. It emphasizes that no strength, whether natural, supernatural, or political, can defy the divine will once God's anger is set.
Job 9 13 Commentary
Job 9:13 is a powerful declaration of God's overwhelming and unchallenged omnipotence. Job, in his deep despair, is not questioning God's power but emphasizing his own inability to stand against it or comprehend His ways. The verse asserts that God's wrath, unlike human anger, is absolute and unyielding. There is no negotiating with it, no escaping its reach, and no turning it back once it has been decided. The mention of "Rahab" is crucial. Whether interpreted as a mythical primeval chaos-beast or as a direct reference to the mighty nation of Egypt, the meaning remains consistent: no entity, however fearsome or powerful in the eyes of humanity, can withstand or escape the judgment of the Almighty God. Even those who align with or depend on such forces are utterly subdued, forced into terrified submission. This reinforces the biblical understanding that God reigns supreme over all creation, both visible and invisible, material and symbolic, ultimately crushing all rebellion and pride. This theological truth serves as both a comfort for the righteous and a warning for the wicked. For Job, it compounds his sense of helplessness before a God whose actions seem arbitrary from a human perspective, yet are rooted in unchallengeable power.