Job 41

Job 41:1

Job, a servant of God An EasyEnglish Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Job

www.easyenglish.info 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 A dangerous animal called the crocodile v1 A crocodile is an animal that lives in the river. But you cannot fish for a crocodile. You cannot tie its mouth with rope (thick string). (The crocodile is too strong for you.) v2 You cannot drag the crocodile by its nose or mouth.

Chapter 41

Verses 1-2

At the end of God’s speech, God described another strong animal. We think that God was describing a dangerous animal called the crocodile. The crocodile lives in rivers. But it can also walk on the land. Some crocodiles are very large. And they are very fierce.

Job imagined that God was responsible for Job’s troubles. But chapters 1 and 2 explain that, in fact, the accuser called Satan was responsible. Another name for Satan is the devil. Satan attacked Job because Satan wanted to accuse God. Job was God’s servant. But Satan thought that he could make Job insult God. And, that Job would not trust God if Job was suffering.

The devil behaves like a crocodile:

 Nobody can control the devil, except God. And no person can control a crocodile.

 The devil is a fierce enemy. And a crocodile is fierce. It never tries to escape from trouble. Its reaction is always to attack.

 A person cannot defeat the devil by his own skills or intelligence. We need God’s help. And even a strong man cannot fight a crocodile. Even today, the most skilled experts in a zoo must be very careful if they need to catch a crocodile. The crocodile wants to kill them.

 The devil is very proud. And the crocodile behaves as if it is the proudest animal. (See also my notes on Job 26:12-13.) The crocodile will never become tame v3 Do not imagine that a crocodile would ever be gentle. It will fight for its freedom. It is fierce. v4 It will never become tame. It will never obey you. v5 You cannot make it into a pet, like a bird. And you cannot lead it on a string to amuse your servant girls.

Verses 3-5

People keep many animals as pets. But nobody can train a crocodile to be a tame animal. It is out of control. Men cannot hunt for a crocodile v6 Merchants will not bargain for the meat of the crocodile. Shopkeepers cannot cut up the meat in order to sell it.

v7 You cannot hunt a crocodile with spears and harpoons, like a large fish. (Spears and harpoons are long knives, like swords.)

v8 If you touch a crocodile, you will have a terrible struggle. And you will never touch a crocodile again.

v9 Do not even imagine that you could control a crocodile. You could never win a fight against a crocodile. When you see the crocodile, you will know this. v10 Nobody dares to upset a crocodile. (But I, God, made the crocodile.) So, be sure that nobody could oppose me. v11 I owe nothing to anyone. Everything belongs to me.

Verses 6-7

You can kill other river animals for their meat. But it is very difficult to kill a crocodile. The crocodile is too fierce. And its skin is too hard to cut with a sword or another long knife.

Verse 8

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

Verses 9-11

God created all the animals. So God is more powerful than any animal. And God is also more powerful than the devil. So people who trust God do not need to be afraid of the devil. Instead, they should trust God to help them. God describes the crocodile v12 I shall tell you about the crocodile. I shall speak about:

 its legs;

 its strength;

 and its graceful shape.

v13 The crocodile’s hard skin protects the animal from attack. Nobody would try to control a crocodile.

v14 And nobody would try to open its mouth. Its teeth are terrible.

v15 The crocodile’s back seems to be a row of shields. (The word ‘shields’ means the metal plates that a soldier uses to protect his body.) The rows of shields are neat. v16 Each shield touches the next shield. Even air cannot pass between the shields. v17 And the shields join each other. They do not separate.

Verse 12

We would not normally describe a crocodile as graceful. But perhaps God meant the skin of the crocodile. Today, crocodile skin makes an attractive leather.

Verses 13-17

This description explains why a man cannot attack a crocodile. The crocodile would try to bite the man. And no part of the crocodile’s body seems soft enough to cut, even with a sword. An adventure with a crocodile The crocodile rises from the river

v18 (The crocodile rises from the river.) First, you hear when it sneezes. (A sneeze is the sound when the crocodile clears water from its nose.) When the crocodile sneezes, lights flash. (Actually, you see the sunlight, which reflects in the water from the crocodile’s nose. Then, you see the crocodile’s eyes.) The crocodile’s eyes are red, like the light at dawn.

v19 Fire seems to come from the crocodile’s mouth. v20 Smoke seems to come from the crocodile’s nose. You might think that the plants near the river are burning. And you might think that a pot boils above the fire. v21 (But then, you realise that the crocodile is there.) (You might think that) the crocodile’s breath lit the coals. (That is, the coals where you think that the pot boils.) (You might think that) the flames come from the crocodile’s mouth.

Verses 18-21

These verses are difficult to understand. In the EasyEnglish translation, we have put some words in brackets (…). These words are not in the original Book of Job. We have included these words to help you to understand one possible meaning.

Some people think that fire actually came from the animal’s mouth. But no real animals can do this. And the other animals in God’s speech all seem to be real animals. So we do not agree with such people. Instead, God was describing what seems to happen. In other words, if a crocodile approached a man, this would be his experience:

 First, the man would hear the crocodile. The sudden noise would surprise the man.

 The man would look to see what animal made the noise. But he would not see the animal immediately. He would see the water that reflects the light. Then he would see the crocodile’s eyes.

 There would be water, like steam, in the air round the crocodile. This water would look like smoke. And the water would reflect the sunlight. So the man might think that a pot was boiling. And the light might look like a fire.

 Then the man would realise what he was watching. And the crocodile would start to leave the water.

 The man may be curious to see the crocodile. But he would also be very afraid.

The adventure continues: You see the whole crocodile

v22 The crocodile’s neck is so strong. And everyone is afraid. v23 Even the fat parts of the crocodile’s body are thick and firm. v24 The upper parts of the crocodile’s body are strong, like rock. Or, like stone.

v25 Even strong men are afraid when they see a crocodile. When it moves, they run!

Verses 22-25

If the man was curious, he might see the crocodile. But if the man was sensible, he would run away.

The adventure continues: People try to frighten the crocodile

v26 A sword does not hurt a crocodile. Dangerous knives have no effect. v27 The crocodile will bend a metal knife. Or, the crocodile will break the knife.

v28 If you shoot an arrow, the crocodile will not leave. If you throw a stone, your stone seems like dust to the crocodile.

v29 The crocodile thinks that your heaviest stick is like straw. And the crocodile laughs if you try to fight it.

Verses 26-29

Many towns are near rivers. So a crocodile could enter a town. The inhabitants would want to frighten it. Perhaps it will return to the river. But the people cannot attack it. The crocodile is not afraid of a sword or a knife. And the crocodile would hurt anyone who tried to fight. So the people must stand at a distance. They might throw stones. But the crocodile is not afraid of stones.

The adventure ends: The crocodile decides to return to the river

v30 The lower parts of the crocodile’s body are like sharp pieces of pot. Behind it, the crocodile leaves a track in the mud. This track is like a vehicle’s track.

v31 The crocodile stirs the water like a boiling pot. And the crocodile mixes the water, like a pot of medicine.

v32 The crocodile leaves a path behind it, in the water. This looks as if the river has white hair.

Verses 30-32

The crocodile leaves when it chooses to leave. Its legs are short, so its body leaves a track in the mud.

It stirs the water as it returns to the river. And the crocodile also leaves a track of bubbles (called foam) on the surface of the water.

Everybody will be glad when the crocodile leaves. The king of proud animals v33 The crocodile fears nobody. And no animal is as great as a crocodile. v34 The crocodile insults the proudest animals. The crocodile is like a king for everyone who is proud.

Verses 33-34

Some animals seem proud. And some people are very proud. But nobody can continue to be proud when they see a crocodile. Their proud words cannot protect them from such a dangerous animal.

The devil is also very proud. The devil is not afraid of any person. The devil is so bold that he even accuses God. But God is much more powerful than the devil. So we need to trust God. God will help us when the devil opposes us (1 Peter 5:8-9). We should learn how to be strong Christians (Ephesians 6:10-18). And we should use the Bible against the devil as Jesus did (Matthew 4:1-10). Psalms 104 Psalms 104 is similar to Job chapters 38-41. Psalms 104 also describes many animals that God created. It is a song to praise God for his wonderful deeds. Similar passages include:

 Psalms 104:11 and Job 39:5-8. These passages are both about the wild donkey (a small horse).

 Psalms 104:18 and Job 39:1-4. These passages are both about the wild goat.

 Psalms 104:26 and Job chapter 41. These passages are both about the animal called the crocodile.

 Psalms 104:7-9 and Job 38:8-11. These passages both describe how God made a boundary for the sea.

 Psalms 104:21-22 and Job 38:39-40. These passages both describe how God provides food for lions.

There are also other similar passages.

In Job chapters 38-41, God was testing Job (Job 38:3; Job 40:7). God wanted Job to realise that God had done many wonderful things. And that no man could do such things.

Psalms 104 is like an answer to Job’s test. The Psalm praises God, who did all these things by his wisdom (Psalms 104:24). So we should give honour to God. We should always trust him. He will save his people. But he will punish wicked people (Psalms 104:33-35).

© 2005, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

October 2005

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