Job 41:32

Complete Jewish Bible

class="poetry"> "Look, any hope [of capturing him] is futile — one would fall prostrate at the very sight of him. No one is fierce enough to rouse him, so who can stand up to me? Who has given me anything and made me pay it back? Everything belongs to me under all of heaven. "I have more to say about his limbs, his strong talk, and his matchless strength. Who can strip off his [scaly] garment? Who can enter his jaws? Who can pry open the doors of his face, so close to his terrible teeth? "His pride is his rows of scales, tightly sealed together — one is so close to the next that no air can come between them; they are stuck one to another, interlocked and impervious. "When he sneezes, light flashes out; his eyes are like the shimmer of dawn. From his mouth go fiery torches, and sparks come flying out. His nostrils belch steam like a caldron boiling on the fire. His breath sets coals ablaze; flames pour from his mouth. "Strength resides in his neck, and dismay dances ahead of him [as he goes]. The layers of his flesh stick together; they are firm on him, immovable. His heart is as hard as a stone, yes, hard as a lower millstone. When he rears himself up, the gods are afraid, beside themselves in despair. "If a sword touches him, it won't stick; neither will a spear, or a dart, or a lance. He regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood. An arrow can't make him flee; for him, slingstones are so much chaff. Clubs count as hay, and he laughs at a quivering javelin. His belly is as sharp as fragments of pottery, so he moves across the mud like a threshing-sledge. "He makes the depths seethe like a pot, he makes the sea [boil] like a perfume kettle. He leaves a shining wake behind him, making the deep seem to have white hair. "On earth there is nothing like him, a creature without fear. He looks straight at all high things. He is king over all proud beasts."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He leaves a shining wake behind him;one would think the deep had gray hair!

Hebrew Names Version
He makes a path to shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair.

King James Version
He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

English Standard Version
Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be white-haired.

New Century Version
When it swims, it leaves a shining path in the water that makes the sea look as if it had white hair.

New English Translation
It leaves a glistening wake behind it; one would think the deep had a head of white hair.

Amplified Bible
"Behind him he makes a shining wake; One would think the deep to be gray-haired [with foam].

New American Standard Bible
"Behind him he illuminates a pathway; One would think the deep to be gray-haired.

World English Bible
He makes a path to shine after him. One would think the deep had white hair.

Geneva Bible (1587)
He maketh a path to shine after him: one would thinke the depth as an hoare head.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behind it, it makes a wake to shine;One would think the deep to be gray‑haired.

Berean Standard Bible
He leaves a glistening wake behind him; one would think the deep had white hair!

Contemporary English Version
and it leaves behind a trail of shining white foam.

Darby Translation
He maketh the path to shine after him: one would think the deep to be hoary.

Easy-to-Read Version
When he swims, he leaves a sparkling path behind him. He stirs up the water and makes it white with foam.

George Lamsa Translation
With his strong body he walks upon the ground.

Good News Translation
He leaves a shining path behind him and turns the sea to white foam.

Lexham English Bible
Behind it, it leaves a glistening wake; one would think that the deep has gray hair.

Literal Translation
he makes a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be grayheaded.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The waye is light after him, the depe is his walkynge place.

American Standard Version
He maketh a path to shine after him; One would think the deep to be hoary.

Bible in Basic English
After him his way is shining, so that the deep seems white.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
span data-lang="eng" data-trans="jps" data-ref="job.41.1" class="versetxt"> Behold, the hope of him is in vain; shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? None is so fierce that dare stir him up; who then is able to stand before Me? Who hath given Me anything beforehand, that I should repay him? Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is Mine. Would I keep silence concerning his boastings, or his proud talk, or his fair array of words? Who can uncover the face of his garment? Who shall come within his double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror. His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another; they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning torches, and sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot and burning rushes. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. In his neck abideth strength, and dismay danceth before him. The flakes of his flesh are joined together; they are firm upon him; they cannot be moved. His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, firm as the nether millstone. When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid; by reason of despair they are beside themselves. If one lay at him with the sword, it will not hold; nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; slingstones are turned with him into stubble. Clubs are accounted as stubble; he laugheth at the rattling of the javelin. Sharpest potsherds are under him; he spreadeth a threshing-sledge upon the mire. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot; he maketh the sea like a seething mixture. He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth there is not his like, who is made to be fearless. He looketh at all high things; he is king over all the proud beasts.

King James Version (1611)
Hee maketh a path to shine after him; one would thinke the deepe to bee hoarie.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He maketh the path to be seene after him, and he maketh the deepe to seeme all hoarie.

English Revised Version
He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A path schal schyne aftir hym; he schal gesse the greet occian as wexynge eld.

Update Bible Version
He makes a path to shine after him; One would think the deep to be hoary.

Webster's Bible Translation
He maketh a path to shine after him; [one] would think the deep [to be] hoary.

New King James Version
He leaves a shining wake behind him; One would think the deep had white hair.

New Living Translation
The water glistens in its wake, making the sea look white.

New Life Bible
He makes his way shine behind him. One would think that the sea has white hair.

New Revised Standard
It leaves a shining wake behind it; one would think the deep to be white-haired.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
After him, he lighteth up a path, one might think the resounding deep to be hoary!

Douay-Rheims Bible
(41-23) A path shall shine after him, he shall esteem the deep as growing old.

Revised Standard Version
Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be hoary.

Young's Literal Translation
After him he causeth a path to shine, One thinketh the deep to be hoary.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Behind him he makes a wake to shine; One would think the deep to be gray-haired.

Contextual Overview

¹¹ From his mouth go fiery torches, and sparks come flying out. ¹² His nostrils belch steam like a caldron boiling on the fire. ¹³ His breath sets coals ablaze; flames pour from his mouth. ¹⁴ "Strength resides in his neck, and dismay dances ahead of him [as he goes]. ¹⁵ The layers of his flesh stick together; they are firm on him, immovable. ¹⁶ His heart is as hard as a stone, yes, hard as a lower millstone. ¹⁷ When he rears himself up, the gods are afraid, beside themselves in despair. ¹⁸ "If a sword touches him, it won't stick; neither will a spear, or a dart, or a lance. ¹⁹ He regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood. ²⁰ An arrow can't make him flee; for him, slingstones are so much chaff.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

By his rapid passage through the water he makes it white with foam; and by his tail he causes the waves behind him to sparkle like a trail of light.

to shine: Genesis 1:15

deep: Job 28:14, Job 38:16, Job 38:30, Genesis 1:2

hoary: Genesis 15:15, Genesis 25:8, Genesis 42:38, Proverbs 16:31, Proverbs 20:29

Cross-References

Genesis 37:7
We were tying up bundles of wheat in the field when suddenly my bundle got up by itself and stood upright; then your bundles came, gathered around mine and prostrated themselves before it."

Genesis 37:9
He had another dream which he told his brothers: "Here, I had another dream, and there were the sun, the moon and eleven stars prostrating themselves before me."

Genesis 41:10
Pharaoh was angry with his officials and put me in the prison of the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker.

Genesis 41:11
One night both I and he had dreams, and each man's dream had its own meaning.

Genesis 41:14
Then Pharaoh summoned Yosef, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh.

Genesis 41:15
(A: ii) Pharaoh said to Yosef, "I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it; but I've heard it said about you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it."

Genesis 41:24
And the thin ears swallowed up the seven ripe ears. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me."

Genesis 41:27
Likewise the seven lean and miserable-looking cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted by the east wind — there will be seven years of famine.

Numbers 23:19
"God is not a human who lies or a mortal who changes his mind. When he says something, he will do it; when he makes a promise, he will fulfill it.

Isaiah 30:33
For the Tofet fire pit has long been ready, prepared for the king, made large and deep, with plenty of wood and blazing with fire; like a stream of sulfur, Adonai 's breath sets it aflame.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He maketh a path to shine after him,.... Upon the sea, by raising a white from upon it, through its vehement motion as it passes along, or by the spermaceti it casts out and leaves behind it. It is said s that whales will cut and plough the sea in such a manner, as to leave a shining glittering path behind them, the length of a German mile, which is three of ours;

[one] would think the deep [to be] hoary; to be old and grey headed, or white like the hair of the head of an old man, a figure often used of the sea by poets t; and hence "Nereus" u, which is the sea, is said to be an old man, because the froth in the waves of it looks like white hair.

s Vid. Scheuchzer. ibid. (vol. 4.) p. 853. t πολιης αλος, Homer. Iliad. 1. v. 350. πολιης θαλασσης, Iliad. 4. v. 248. "incanuit unda", Catullus. u Phurnutus de Natura Deorum, p. 63.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He maketh a path to shine after him - This refers doubtless to the white foam of the waters through which he passes. If this were spoken of some monster that commonly resides in the ocean, it would not be unnatural to suppose that it refers to the phosphoric light such as is observed when the waters are agitated, or when a vessel passes rapidly through them. If it refers, however, to the crocodile, the allusion must be understood of the hoary appearance of the Nile or the lake where he is found.

One would think the deep to be hoary - Homer often speaks of the sea as πολιὴν θάλασσαν poliēn thalassan - “the hoary sea.” So Apollonius, speaking of the Argonauts, Lib. i. 545:

- μακραὶ δ ̓ αἰὲν ἐλευκαίνοντο κέλευθοι -

- makrai d' aien eleukainonto keleuthoi -

“The long paths were always white”

So Catullus, in Epith. Pelei:

Totaque remigio spumis incanuit unda.

And Ovid, Epis. Oeno:

- remis eruta canet aqua.

The rapid motion of an aquatic animal through the water will produce the effect here referred to.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 41:32. He maketh a path to shine after him — In certain states of the weather a rapid motion through the water disengages many sparks of phosphoric fire. I have seen this at sea; once particularly, on a fine clear night, with a good breeze, in a fast-sailing vessel, I leaned over the stern, and watched this phenomenon for hours. The wake of the vessel was like a stream of fire; millions of particles of fire were disengaged by the ship's swift motion through the water, nearly in the same way as by the electric cushion and cylinder; and all continued to be absorbed at a short distance from the vessel. Whether this phenomenon takes place in fresh water or in the Nile, I have had no opportunity of observing.

The deep to be hoary. — By the frost and foam raised by the rapid passage of the animal through the water.