JobChapter 40

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Then the LORD answered Job:

Will the one who argues with the Almighty accept correction? Let him who accuses God give an answer.

Then Job answered the LORD:

See, I am of little worth—what can I reply to you? I lay my hand over my mouth.

I have spoken once, and I will not answer again; twice, and I will say no more.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm:

Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you will inform me.

Would you really annul my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

Do you have an arm like God's? Can you thunder with a voice like his?

Then deck yourself with majesty and grandeur; clothe yourself in glory and splendor.

Pour out the fury of your anger; look on every proud man and bring him low.

Look on every proud man and humble him; crush the wicked where they stand.

Bury them in the dust together; shroud their faces in the hidden place.

Then even I would praise you, that your own right hand can save you.

Look now at Behemoth, which I made along with you; he eats grass like an ox.

Look at the strength in his loins, the power in the muscles of his belly.

He stiffens his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are woven tight.

His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron.

He is the first of God's works; only his Maker can bring a sword against him.

For the mountains yield him their produce, and all the wild animals play there.

He lies down under the lotus trees, hidden among the reeds of the marsh.

The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows of the stream surround him.

Though the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is unshaken though the Jordan surges against his mouth.

Can anyone capture him while he watches, or pierce his nose with a snare?

Can you haul in Leviathan with a hook, or tie down his tongue with a rope?

Can you run a cord through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a barb?

Will he plead with you again and again? Will he speak soft words to you?

Will he make a covenant with you, so you can take him as a slave for life?

Will you play with him as with a bird, or leash him for your servant girls?

Will traders haggle over him? Will they divide him among the merchants?

Can you fill his hide with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears?

Lay a hand on him—remember the battle; you will never try again!

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Summary2

Chapter 40

Main Theme: God challenges Job’s criticism and demonstrates His sovereign power through the wonders of creation.

Content: God answers Job from the storm and asks whether Job will set aside His judgment in order to appear righteous himself. Job responds humbly, placing his hand over his mouth—he acknowledges that he has spoken once, yes, twice, but will not continue. God then challenges Job: Can he clothe himself with majesty and humble the proud? As proof of His power, God describes Behemoth and Leviathan—mighty creatures that no human can tame or control.

Key Words/Images:

Behemoth (בְּהֵמוֹת): A huge land animal with strength in its loins and sinews like bronze tubes, described as "the first of God’s works" (v. 19).
Leviathan (לִוְיָתָן): A fearsome sea creature that cannot be caught with a hook or tamed like a domestic animal.
Hand over the mouth (יָדִי שַׂמְתִּי לְמוֹ־פִי): Job’s gesture of humility and silence, showing his recognition of his own limitations.
The Storm (סְעָרָה): The setting for the theophany—God reveals Himself in nature’s overwhelming power.

Historical context

Historical and Cultural Context for Job 40

Events and Customs

Job’s Acknowledgment (vv. 3–5)

Job’s brief reply marks a turning point. The gesture of placing the hand over the mouth (v. 4: יָדִי שַׂמְתִּי לְמוֹ־פִי) was in the ancient Near East a sign of reverence and silence before a superior. Job acknowledges that he is qallōtî (רינג/insignificant) and refrains from further argument.

Hunting and Trading Wild Animals

Verses 25–32 describe various methods for capturing and taming animals: hooks, snares, piercing the jaw, and trade among merchants (kenaʿanim, v. 30). In the ancient Near East, hunting large animals such as hippos and crocodiles was a royal and prestigious activity. Egyptian reliefs depict pharaohs engaged in hippo hunts. The point of the text is that what humans might accomplish with ordinary animals is impossible with these creatures.

Key Terms

Behemoth (בְּהֵמוֹת)

The word behemot (v. 15) is the plural form of the Hebrew behemah (animal/cattle), but here it functions as a proper name for a single, mighty creature. This is so-called an "intensive plural" that emphasizes the overwhelming greatness of the animal. The description—with strength in its loins, sinews like ropes, bones like tubes of bronze and bars of iron—points to a massive land animal. Many scholars identify it with the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), which was known in Egypt and possibly in the Jordan region during biblical times. Others view it as a mythological representative of chaotic forces that God has created and controls.

Leviathan (לִוְיָתָן)

Leviathan (vv. 25–32) is described through a series of rhetorical questions about humanity’s ability to capture, tame, or make it a slave or plaything. The name is related to the Ugaritic Lotan, a sea monster from Canaanite mythology. The description continues and is expanded in chapter 41.

Jordan River (יַרְדֵּן)

The reference to the Jordan (v. 23) is the only geographical location mentioned in God’s speeches. This anchors Behemoth in a concrete, familiar reality for the original audience, even though the description transcends the purely natural.

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Key words6

Behemoth — A large and mighty creature, possibly a mythological being, which God uses to illustrate His power and greatness.
God — The Almighty Creator who, according to Genesis, created the heavens, the earth, and all life.
Created — The term used to describe God's act of bringing the universe and everything in it into existence.
Lord — A title that shows respect and reverence toward God and His authority.
Mock — Another word for laughing at or ridiculing, used in Job 40 to describe how God challenges Job and his complaints.
Justify — To declare or prove oneself righteous, upright, or morally correct.