Job 26:11-14

26:11 The pillars ¹  of the heavens tremble

and are amazed at his rebuke. ² 

26:12 By his power he stills ³  the sea;

by his wisdom he cut Rahab the great sea monster ⁴  to pieces. ⁵ 

26:13 By his breath ⁶  the skies became fair;

his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. ⁷ 

26:14 Indeed, these are but the outer fringes of his ways! ⁸ 

How faint is the whisper ⁹  we hear of him!

But who can understand the thunder of his power?”

[26:11]  ¹ sn H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 173) says these are the great mountains, perceived to hold up the sky.

[26:11]  ² sn The idea here is that when the earth quakes, or when there is thunder in the heavens, these all represent God’s rebuke, for they create terror.

[26:12]  ³ tn The verb רָגַע (raga’) has developed a Semitic polarity, i.e., having totally opposite meanings. It can mean “to disturb; to stir up” or “to calm; to still.” Gordis thinks both meanings have been invoked here. But it seems more likely that “calm” fits the context better.

[26:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “Rahab” (רָהַב), the mythical sea monster that represents the forces of chaos in ancient Near Eastern literature. In the translation the words “the great sea monster” have been supplied appositionally in order to clarify “Rahab.”

[26:12]  ⁵ sn Here again there are possible mythological allusions or polemics. The god Yam, “Sea,” was important in Ugaritic as a god of chaos. And Rahab is another name for the monster of the deep (see Job 9:13).

[26:13]  ⁶ tn Or “wind”; or perhaps “Spirit.” The same Hebrew word, רוּחַ (ruakh), may be translated as “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit/Spirit” depending on the context.

[26:13]  ⁷ sn Here too is a reference to pagan views indirectly. The fleeing serpent was a designation for Leviathan, whom the book will simply describe as an animal, but the pagans thought to be a monster of the deep. God’s power over nature is associated with defeat of pagan gods (see further W. F. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan; idem, BASOR 53 [1941]: 39).

[26:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “the ends of his ways,” meaning “the fringes.”

[26:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “how little is the word.” Here “little” means a “fraction” or an “echo.”