---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Job 40"
description: "CHAPTER 40   :-. GOD"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40"
---

CHAPTER 40

. GOD'S SECOND
ADDRESS.
He had paused for a reply, but Job
was silent.

**1. the Lord**—*Hebrew,*
"JEHOVAH."

**2. he that contendeth**—as Job
had so often expressed a wish to do. Or, *rebuketh.* Does Job
now still (after seeing and hearing of God's majesty and wisdom) wish
to set God right?
**answer it**—namely, the
questions I have asked.

**3. Lord**—JEHOVAH.

**4.** I am (too) vile (to reply).
It is a very different thing to vindicate ourselves before God, from
what it is before men. Job could do the latter, not the former.
**lay . . . hand . . . upon . .
. mouth**—I have no plea to offer ([Job 21:5](../../../kjv/job/21/5);
[Judges 18:19](../../../kjv/judges/18/19)).

**5. Once . . . twice**—oftentimes,
more than once ([Job 33:14](../../../kjv/job/33/14),
compare with [Job 33:29](../../../kjv/job/33/29); [Psalms 62:11](../../../kjv/psalms/62/11)):
**I have spoken**—namely,
against God.
**not answer**—not plead
against Thee.

**6. the Lord**—JEHOVAH.

**7.** (See on ). Since Job has not only spoken against God, but accused Him
of injustice, God challenges him to try, could *he* govern the
world, as *God* by His power doth, and punish the proud and
wicked ([Job 40:7-14](../../../kjv/job/40/7-14)).

**8.** Wilt thou not only contend
with, but *set aside My judgment* or justice in the government
of the world?
**condemn**—declare Me
unrighteous, in order *that thou mayest be* accounted *righteous*
(innocent; undeservingly afflicted).

**9. arm**—God's omnipotence ().
**thunder**—God's voice
([Job 37:4](../../../kjv/job/37/4)).

**10.** See, hast thou power and
majesty like God's, to enable thee to judge and govern the world?

**11. rage**—rather, pour out *the
redundant floods of,* &c.
**behold**—Try, canst thou,
as God, by a mere *glance* abase the proud (, &c.)?

**12. proud**—high ().
**in their place**—on the
spot; suddenly, before they can move from their place. (See on ; [Job 40:3](../../../kjv/job/40/3)).

**13.** (). *Abase* and remove them out of the sight of men.
**bind . . . faces**—that
is, shut up their persons [MAURER].
But it refers rather to the custom of binding a cloth over the faces
of persons about to be executed ([Job 9:24](../../../kjv/job/9/24);
[Esther 7:8](../../../kjv/esther/7/8)).
**in secret**—consign them
to *darkness.*

**14. confess**—rather, "extol";
"I also," who now *censure* thee. But since thou canst
not do these works, thou must, instead of censuring, extol *My*
government.
**thine own . . . hand . . .
save**— ([Psalms 44:3](../../../kjv/psalms/44/3)). So as to
eternal salvation by Jesus Christ ([Isaiah 59:16](../../../kjv/isaiah/59/16);
[Isaiah 63:5](../../../kjv/isaiah/63/5)).

**15-24.** God shows that if Job
cannot bring under control the lower animals (of which he selects the
two most striking, behemoth on land, leviathan in the water), much
less is he capable of governing the world.
**behemoth**—The
description in part agrees with the hippopotamus, in part with the
elephant, but exactly in all details with neither. It is rather a
poetical personification of the great *Pachydermata,* or
*Herbivora* (so "he eateth grass"), the idea of the
hippopotamus being predominant. In , "the tail like a cedar," hardly applies to the
latter (so also [Job 40:20](../../../kjv/job/40/20);
[Job 40:23](../../../kjv/job/40/23), "Jordan," a
river which elephants alone could reach, but see on [Job 40:23](../../../kjv/job/40/23)). On the other hand, [Job 40:21](../../../kjv/job/40/21);
[Job 40:22](../../../kjv/job/40/22) are characteristic of
the *amphibious* river horse. So leviathan (the twisting
animal), [Job 41:1](../../../kjv/job/41/1), is a
generalized term for cetacea, pythons, saurians of the neighboring
seas and rivers, including the crocodile, which is the most
prominent, and is often associated with the river horse by old
writers. "Behemoth" seems to be the Egyptian *Pehemout,*
"water-ox," Hebraized, so-called as being like an ox,
whence the Italian *bombarino.*
**with thee**—as I made
thyself. Yet how great the difference! The *manifold* wisdom and
power of God!
**he eateth grass**—marvellous
in an animal living so much in the water; also strange, that such a
monster should not be carnivorous.

**16. navel**—rather, "muscles"
of his belly; the weakest point of the elephant, therefore *it*
is not meant.

**17. like a cedar**—As the
tempest *bends* the cedar, so it can move its smooth thick tail
[UMBREIT]. But the cedar
implies straightness and length, such as do not apply to the river
horse's short tail, but perhaps to an extinct species of animal (see
on [Job 40:4](../../../kjv/job/40/4)).
**stones**—rather,
"thighs."
**wrapped**—firmly *twisted
together,* like a thick rope.

**18. strong**—rather, "tubes"
of copper [UMBREIT].

**19.** Chief of the *works* of
God; so "ways" ([Job 26:14](../../../kjv/job/26/14);
[Proverbs 8:22](../../../kjv/proverbs/8/22)).
**can make his sword to
approach**—rather, "has furnished him with his sword"
(*harpe*), namely, the *sickle-like* teeth with which he
cuts down grain. *English Version,* however, is literally right.

**20.** The mountain is not his
*usual* haunt. BOCHART
says it is *sometimes* found there (?).
**beasts . . . play**—a
graphic trait: though armed with such teeth, he lets the beasts play
near him unhurt, for his food is grass.

**21. lieth**—He leads an inactive
life.
**shady trees**—rather,
"lotus bushes"; as requires.

**22. shady trees**—Translate:
"lotus bushes."

**23.** Rather, "(Though) a
river be violent (overflow), he trembleth not"; (for though
living on land, he can live in the water, too); he is secure, though
a Jordan swell up to his mouth. "Jordan" is used for *any
great river* (consonant with the "behemoth"), being a
poetical generalization (see on ). The author cannot have been a *Hebrew* as UMBREIT
asserts, or he would not adduce the Jordan, where there were no river
horses. He alludes to it as a name for *any* river, but not as
one known to him, except by hearsay.

**24.** Rather, "Will any take
him by open force" (literally, "before his eyes"), "or
pierce his nose with cords?" No; he can only be taken by guile,
and in a pitfall ([Job 41:1](../../../kjv/job/41/1);
[Job 41:2](../../../kjv/job/41/2)).

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Job 40"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Job 40","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"CHAPTER 40   :-. GOD'S SECOND\nADDRESS. He had paused for a reply, but Job\nwas silent. 1. the Lord—Hebrew,\n\"JEHOVAH.\" 2. he that contendeth—as Job\nhad so o","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job","name":"Job"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/job/40","name":"40"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]}
```