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Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Job 41:8

Verse Job 41:8. Lay thine hand upon him?] Mr. Heath translates, "Be sure thou strike home. Mind thy blow: rely not upon a second stroke." Mr. Good translates: -

"Make ready thy hand against him.

Dare the contest: be firm."


He is a dangerous animal; when thou attackest him, be sure of thy advantage; if thou miss, thou art ruined. Depend not on other advantages, if thou miss the first. Kill him at once, or he will kill thee.

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See also Job 41:8 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    LAY THINE HAND UPON HIM - Prof. Lee renders this, very improperly, as it seems to me, “Lay thine hand on thy mouth respecting him,” supposing it means that he should be awed into silence by dread of t...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 41 _ 1. Leviathan, the untamable beast of power (Job 41:1)_ 2. Its description (Job 41:12) 3. His remarkable strength (Job 41:25)...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    JOB 40:15 TO JOB 41:34. BEHEMOTH AND LEVIATHAN. Most scholars regard this passage as a later addition to the poem. The point of Job 40:8 is God's reply to Job's criticism of His righteousness; the des...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    JOB 41. LEVIATHAN. The author regards the crocodile as impossible of capture. In Job 41:1 b perhaps the meaning is that when caught the crocodile cannot be led about by a rope round his tongue and low...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The verse is ironical, Lay thine hand upon him! Think of the battle: thou shalt do so no more. The last words, _thou shalt do so no more_(so the Geneva), refer to the ironical advice given in the f...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Job 40:6 to Job 42:6. The Lord's Second Answer to Job out of the Storm Shall Man charge God with unrighteousness in His Rule of the World? All that the first speech of the Lord touched upon was the...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The impossibility of capturing the animal....

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    LAY THINE HAND UPON HIM, &C.— _Be sure thou strikest home; mind thy blow; rely not on a second stroke,_ Job 41:9. _See, he is deceived in his expectation: will he also faint away at the sight of them?...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    TEXT 41:1-34 41 Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord? 2 Canst thou put a rope Into his nose? Or pierce his jaw through with a hook? 3 Will he make ma...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _LAY THINE HAND UPON HIM, REMEMBER THE BATTLE, DO NO MORE._ If thou lay, etc., thou wilt have reason ever to REMEMBER the battle, how severe it was, and thou wilt never try, it again....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    LAY THINE HAND UPON HIM] i.e. if you dare. DO NO MORE] or, 'do not repeat it.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE SECOND SPEECH OF THE ALMIGHTY (CONCLUDED) The second great creature, the Crocodile (with which the 'leviathan' is generally identified) is now described. If Job cannot control the crocodile, dare...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    JOB, A SERVANT OF GOD Job _KEITH SIMONS_ Words in boxes (except for words in brackets) are from the Bible. This commentary has been through Advanced Checking. CHAPTER 41 GOD FINISHES HIS SPEECH...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    The crocodile would probably kill the person who touched it. But if that person escaped, he would not dare to touch another crocodile....

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    REMEMBER THE BATTLE. — “Bear in mind what thou dost attempt, and thou wilt not do it again.”...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    _[Job 40:32]_ שִׂים ־עָלָ֥יו כַּפֶּ֑ךָ זְכֹ֥ר מִ֝לְחָמָ֗ה...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    XXVIII. THE RECONCILIATION Job 38:1 - Job 42:6 THE main argument of the address ascribed to the Almighty is contained in Chapter s 38 and 39 and in the opening verses of chapter 42. Job makes submis...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE PARABLE OF THE CROCODILE Job 41:1 The last paragraph described the hippopotamus; the whole of this chapter is devoted to the crocodile. In a series of striking questions the voice of the Almighty...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Leviathan is almost certainly the crocodile, and there is the playfulness of a great tenderness in the suggestions Jehovah makes to Job about these fierce creations. Can Job catch him with a rope or a...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Lay thine hand upon him, remember (o) the battle, do no more. (o) If you once consider the danger, you will not meddle with him....

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (1) В¶ Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? (2) Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? (3) Will he make m...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 38 THROUGH 42. Jehovah then speaks, and addressing Job, carries on the subject. He makes Job sensible of his nothingness. Job confesses himself to be vile, an...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    LAY THINE HAND UPON HIM,.... If thou canst or darest. It is dangerous so to do, either to the whale or crocodile; REMEMBER THE BATTLE; or "look for war", as Mr. Broughton renders it; expect a fight w...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. Ver. 8. _Lay thy hand upon him_] Stroke him, clap him on the back, and see if that way thou canst win upon him, since by force thou canst not...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons?_ A whale's skin you may; but the skin of a crocodile is so hard that an iron, or spear, will not pierce it. It may, however, be understood also of the whal...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Lay thine hand upon him; remember the battle, do no more, that is, if one should have the foolhardiness to attempt a fight with a fierce crocodile, he would never try it again, the remembrance of that...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    JOB'S WEAKNESS WHEN COMPARED WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE CROCODILE...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    LEVIATHAN (vv.1-34) Leviathan was a water creature, and appears to be the crocodile, the most fearsome of all aquatic beasts, unless it was another similar animal, now extinct. Job could use a hook...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    "Any attempt to lay. hand on him will teach one. lesson that will have lasting effects. Capture of leviathan is hopeless; the mere sight of him is discouraging. No man is rugged enough as to be up to...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    LAY THINE HAND UPON HIM; either, 1. In a familiar and friendly manner, that thou mayst catch him by deceit, when thou canst not do it by force. Or rather, 2. In way of hostility, seize upon him and t...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Job 41:8 Lay H7760 (H8798) hand H3709 Remember H2142 (H8798) again H3254 (H8686)...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: God's challenge to Job concluded. CHARACTERS: God, Job. CONCLUSION: Man is utterly unable to contend against the Almighty. If the inferior creatures keep man in awe, how wonderful must the...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Job 41:1. _Canst thou draw out leviathan?_ This word is rendered by the LXX, “dragon.” It occurs in Isaiah 27:1, and is rendered _whale, dragon,_ and _serpent._ Men are now satisfied that it is not th...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Canst thou draw out Leviathan?_ BEHEMOTH AND LEVIATHAN The description of the “behemoth” in the preceding chapter and the “leviathan” here suggests a few moral reflections. I. The prodigality of c...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 41:1 The Lord describes the power of LEVIATHAN in terms of man’s inability to subdue him. He compares such power to his own (vv. Job 41:9)....

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    NOTES Job 41:1. “_Canst thou draw out Leviathan with a hook_.” The term “Leviathan” (לִוְיָתָן) rendered here by the SEPTUAGINT, SYRIAC, and ARABIC, “the dragon.” The VULGATE and TARGUM leave it untra...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION JOB 41:1 The crowning description of a natural marvel—the "leviathan," or crocodile—is now given, and with an elaboration to which there is no parallel in the rest of Scripture. It forms,...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    And then in the next chapter God speaks of the leviathan. Now just what the leviathan is, they're not quite sure. Some think that it is perhaps a crocodile, some think that it's perhaps even a dragon,...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Kings 20:11; 2 Kings 10:4; Luke 14:31; Luke 14:32...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Lay — Seize upon him, if thou darest. Battle — But ere thou attempt it consider what thou art doing, and with whom, thou art going to fight. Do no more — Proceed no farther, draw back thy hand....

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