Bereansearching Bible Studies

Introduction

This post is an excerpt of a of longer study on Judges chapter 4&5, “The-battle-of-armageddon-the-earthly-version-already-happened/” This post is about the faithful woman, Deborah, who we are introduced to in Judges Chapter 4.  Deborah was a prophetess, and she was the only female to be a judge in the nation of Israel.  However, what is really key within this account, is that Deborah is also a portrait of the Bride of Christ, the body of true believing Christians, the Saints, who continue to faithfully proclaim God’s Word within the context of the apostate era in which God will be pouring out His wrath on the apostate church, and this God-hating world, just prior to Judgment Day.  Therefore, every believer should take note of what we read in Jude 21 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”, as each believer will be expected to be a faithful and watching witness for Jesus until He comes back on Judgment Day.

Deborah Means “Bee” and She Faithfully Declares God’s Word

Deborah means “bee”, by interpretation from the original Hebrew, דְּבוֹרָה (dᵊḇôrâ) ^H1682, which is from the root word דָּבַר(dāḇar) ^H1696 meaning to “speak” or “declare” and is intimately linked with the Hebrew word for “word” דָּבָר(dāḇār)^H1697. (For more on God’s use and meaning of the word “dāḇar” in the Bible, please see Chapter 2 here.)  It is also an interesting fact that, where bees gather, you will also find honey, and “honey” is a type that God uses in relation to His Word/the Gospel of Jesus Christ (see Judges 14:8&9, and Psalm 119:103, and Revelation 10:9&10 and below under Abinoam).  For a detailed exposition on the meaning of “Honey” and “Honeycomb” in the Bible, please see The Meaning of Honey in the Bible.

However, “bees” דְּבוֹרָה (dᵊḇôrâ) ^H1682 are also used by God in the Bible to denote a means of judgment that God sends in response to rebellion (because they are given power to chase and sting). See for example:

Isaiah 7:18, “And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD shall hiss for the fly that [is] in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that [is] in the land of Assyria.”

Deuteronomy 1:44, “And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, [even] unto Hormah“).

Psalm 118:12, “They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.”

It is also noteworthy that Jesus told us that His Word is what will bring judgment on Judgment Day in John 12:48, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” That last day is Judgment Day!

Please also note the parallels with Isaiah 11:4, “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” and 

Revelation 1:16 also tells us the following, “And he (Jesus) had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength.”And that Sword is the Word of God (Who Is also Jesus).

Note: It is interesting to note that although Psalm 145:5 reads, “I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous (פָּלָא (pālā’))^H6381 works.” The Hebrew word that was translated as “works” should more accurately be translated “words” (דָּבָר (dāḇār))^H1697. Therefore, we can more correctly read it as saying “I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous words.“

Deborah is NOT an Allegorical “Type” of Jesus Christ!, but rather a “Type” of the Bride of Jesus Christ (His Church)!

It is often claimed by theologians (particularly in our day) that, in this historical account, it was the woman, Deborah, who “saved the Israelites from Canaanite forces”, and moreover…”if there is any allegory to be found in this account…it must therefore be Deborah who is the one who should be viewed as a “Type” of Jesus Christ”.  

However, in this study, it will be clearly shown, and proven, that it was NOT Deborah, but rather Barak, who was the key figure as a “Type” of The LORD Jesus Christ.

Today, Barak is shoved aside by modern, humanistically and worldly (not Godly) focused theologians, who, consciously or not, are in complete rebellion against God’s line of authority. Such theologians (and so-called academics) want only to elevate the woman, Deborah (who actually represents the Church, the “Body” of Believers, the “Bride” of Jesus Christ), above the man, Barak, who was really the savior in this historical allegorical account. Barak serves as an allegorical “Type”, who God used to represent The Lord Jesus Christ in this historical account (which is therefore also an historical parable). Jesus Christ, Alone, Is The Head of the Church, as well as The “Bridegroom” in the Heavenly Marriage, as we read in the Book of Revelation.

Anyone who interprets and argues that Deborah was the “savior” is entirely contradicting God’s clearly established, and clearly enunciated, plan of authority and headship…for we know, according to 1 Corinthians 11:3, that, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man; and the head of Christ [is] God.” as well as what we read in Ephesians 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and heis the saviour of the body.” and Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

And is it not interesting that, when God recounts the great men of Faith in Hebrews, Chapter 11, that in amongst the Judges Gideon and Sampson, it was NOT Deborah who was mentioned, but rather Barak? We find this in Hebrews 11:32-34, “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and [of] Barak, and [of] Samson, and [of] Jephthae; [of] David also, and Samuel, and [of] the prophets:  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”  This is because in each case the “man” named is actually an allegorical “Type” of The LORD Jesus Christ, which is entirely consistent with what we read in Luke 24:27 and John 5:39.

Deborah Was the Wife of “Lapidoth”

Deborah was a prophetess (one who declares the word of God) and a judge in Israel.  We also know that she was the wife of Lapidoth (לַפִּידוֹת (lapîḏôṯ)^H3941), which is a plural form of the Hebrew word, “lapid” (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)^H3940 ), meaning “lamp” “torch” “lightning“, see below under Barak).  We see the word lapid used 14 times in the Bible: lamp(7x), firebrand(2x), torch(2x), brand(1x), lightning(1x), burning(1x).

The first time “lapid” appears in the Bible, it is quite terrifying, as we read in Genesis 15:1-21 where God promised Abram (Abraham) a future land of inheritance, and instructed that Abram prepare a sacrifice of five animals (heifer, goat, ram, turtledove, and pigeon; of which the first three were divided (cut) into pieces), and afterward Abram fell into a deep sleep and had a horrible vision where God revealed that the descendants of Abram (Abraham) would be in servitude in Egypt for 400 years, spanning four generations (to wit, Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Aaron), but then would come out with great substance.  Then we next read in Genesis 15:17 “And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp (“lapid” לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)^H3940) that passed between those pieces.”  And then the LORD made a covenant with Abram (Abraham) regarding the Promised Land of Israel for an inheritance to his descendants.

In Isaiah 62:1, we read, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)^H3940 ) that burneth.”  

In Nahum 2:4 we read, “The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)^H3940), they shall run like the lightnings (בָּרָק (bārāq)^H1300).” (More on this below under Barak)

In Zechariah 12:6, we read, “In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)^H3940)of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, [even] in Jerusalem.“

The word “lapid” (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)^H3940 ) thus appears to have more generally been used in the verses above in a manner that speaks more to God’s Holy Covenant, His Justice, His Atonement for Salvation, and His Righteous Judgment, just as the word “Barak” also implies. The use of the original Hebrew word (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)^H3940 ) is therefore generally much more ominous than the other word in the original Hebrew (נִיר (nîr) ^H5216), which the King James translators also interpreted as “lamp” or “candle” (see below).

Deborah would seem therefore to be a typological representation of the true believers during a time of great apostasy who actively, and faithfully, declare the whole counsel of God’s Word that brings the message of both deliverance and judgment when the devil is loose.  Deborah is indeed an allegorical picture of the remnant of the Christian Church which remains faithful to the end, enduring the end-times’ “Great Tribulation” as Jesus described in Matthew 24:21.  Such true believers, together with all other believers throughout history, are described in the Bible as the Bride of Christ as described in Revelation 21:2.

We should also remember that Jesus is The“Lamp”, which is translated from a different Hebrew word (נִיר (nîr))^H5216), which is normally translated to English in the King James Bible variously as lamp (35x), candle (9x), light (4x). It is translated in English as “lamp” here in 2 Samuel 22:29 “For thou [art] my lamp (נִיר (nîr) ^H5216), O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.” and Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp (נִיר (nîr) ^H5216) unto my feet, and a light (אוֹר (‘ôr)^H216), unto my path.” and Psalm 132:17, “There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp (נִיר (nîr) ^H5216) for mine anointed.” And lastly, these two verses provide additional proof texts for this correlation: 2 Chronicles 21:7, “Howbeit the LORD would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a light (נִיר (nîr)) ^H5216 to him and to his sons for ever.” and 1 Kings 11:36, “And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light (נִיר(nîr))^H5216 alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.“

We can derive the correlation between Jesus and the lamp because Jesus is The Word made flesh, as we read in John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Deborah’s Palm Tree

We are also told that Deborah “dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah“ (the “palm tree” may be another reference to Jesus, because as we read in Psalm 92:12, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.“). 

NOTE: It has been pointed out to this teacher by another Bible student that there is more information regarding “palm tree” than this teacher was previously aware. The name “Tamar”, in the original Hebrew is תָּמָר (tāmār)^H8559, means “Palm tree”. Tamar is the name given to three women in the Bible: 1) The widow of Er (the son of Judah), who was chosen by God to be a progenitor of the Lord Jesus Christ via Judah; 2) A daughter of David by Maacah, sister of Absalom, and rape victim of Amnon her half brother, another son of David, and 3) a daughter of Absalom.

We should also remember the use of “palm branches” found in the New Testament in the worship, praise, and adoration of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was the first “Palm Sunday” where we read in John 12:12&13, “¶On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, ^G5404 and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.“, and in Revelation 7:9&10, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms ^G5404 in their hands;And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.“). Hence we can see additional indications that the “palm tree” is also a sign of the joyous reflection of Jesus’s Righteousness providing a protective covering of Salvation for believers from the just penalty for sin.  Psalm 132:16, “I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.” and Leviticus 23:40, “And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.“

Interestingly, the doors of Solomon’s temple included carved palm trees covered in gold (together with cherubims and open flowers) in 1 Kings 6:29-35.

Palm trees also represent life in the Old Testament, because where they were located there were springs of life giving water (Exodus 15:27, Numbers 33:9 typifying another of the Attributes of Jesus Christ.  Reinforcing this idea is the use of the word “dwelt.”  For the believer, Jesus is our dwelling place (i.e., Psalm 90:1, {A Prayer of Moses the man of God.} “LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God“).  We also know that the palm tree was located “between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim“.  Ramah means “high place,” and Bethel means “house of God.”  Ephraim pertains to the tribe of Ephraim, descended from the younger son of Joseph who received the double portion, and who Jacob blessed with his right hand and said “in thee shall Israel bless.”

It is worth a moment to consider why “the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.“  A judge is someone who hears a matter and then pronounces a sentence against an accusation, whether vindication or condemnation and subsequent punishment.  When the believers bring the gospel of salvation they are always bringing the two-fold message of deliverance from the bondage to sin and Satan through Jesus Christ or the alternative just punishment of sin which is an eternity in Hell on Judgment Day.  How can anyone truly know about salvation through Jesus Christ unless they first understand from what they are being saved?  Every human being is by nature in desperate need of a Savior to protect him or her from the coming judgment and wrath of God, which is the just penalty for his or her sins.  Furthermore, we know that if “He that spared not his own son” (Romans 8:32) in that Jesus had to endure God’s wrath in Hell, will not God also do the same to those who do not become saved? 2 Corinthians 5:11, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;“

Conclusion

Deborah represents none other than the Bride of Christ…the believers will actively be involved in the conquering and plundering of the devil and his kingdom. Jesus specifically said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” When we look closely at the virtuous woman whose “price is far above rubies” at the very end of Proverbs (Proverbs 31:10-31) we see a similar correlation. The Bible also says that the believers are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37).
The believers have the whole armor of God including “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”! (Ephesians 6:17). A sword is for offense, not defense. Remember what we are told in Job 19:29, “Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath [bringeth] the punishments of the sword, that ye may know [there is] a judgment.“

God has set it up such that the believers, the Church, the Bride of Christ, His Saints (consistently represented by a woman) are co-involved with Jesus in winning the final battle of Armageddon on Judgment Day…just as Barak was accompanied by the ten thousand followers coming with him down from Mt. Tabor. (See also “the-believers-the-saints-will-be-with-jesus-in-bringing-judgment-on-judgment-day/“)

Introduction

In the Book of Job, Chapter 41, God devotes and entire chapter to provide His description of a very large and fearsome aquatic creature, which is called “Leviathan” (immediately following having just described a similarly fearsome terrestrial creature called “Behemoth“), leaving one to wonder what is the point of all that? The descriptions are all framed within a rhetorical question construct such that it is impossible for Job to answer positively. Was this description of leviathan simply to provide another example of God’s great might, and His superior creative power, whereby Job would thus be diminished by comparison? Or is there something else…beyond the “physical”…which could easily be overlooked when understanding the Bible from only a literal, grammatical, and historical perspective?

This study will show that there is, indeed, far more than just meets the “physical” eye as viewed from only a human perspective, if God is so pleased to allow one to see from a “spiritual” perspective, having blessed him or her with “Spiritual Ears and Spiritual Eyes“. God also specifies in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” The means of comparing spiritual things with spiritual is by carefully comparing of scripture with scripture, searching out the words for their original Hebrew meanings, because all Biblical scripture is spiritual, precisely as we are told in 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.“

This study will show that God provided to Job (and us) with a spiritual allegorical portrait of the great adversary of God and all mankind, the Devil/Satan. 

Dear reader, please read on to see the explanation of this otherwise generally hidden spiritual truth.

Before reading further, this teacher would like the reader to understand what is a “parable” and how and why Jesus ALWAYS employed parables when speaking to the multitudes. Moreover, the purpose of “parables” (often referred to as “earthly stories with heavenly meanings”) has everything to do with God’s Magnificent Plan of Salvation. Therefore, the Bible should NEVER be assumed to be read and understood from a purely superficial, earthly, perspective.

The “Leviathan” as Described by God

Beginning in Job 40:15, when God was speaking to Job out of a “whirlwind“, we are first introduced to an unusually large and strong creature whom God describes as the “Leviathan“. Leviathan is derived from the original Hebrew word לִוְיָתָן (livyāṯān)^H3882, which is only found six times in the Bible. The King James translators interpreted it variously as leviathan (5x) or mourning (1x)*. We also know, by God’s own provided analogy, that leviathan is a crooked/piercing serpent, from the original Hebrew word בָּרִחַ (bāriaḥ)^H1281, based on what we are told in Job 26:13, when Job was declaring God’s greatness to his friend Bildad, Job said in “By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked (בָּרִחַ (bāriaḥ))^H1281serpent (נָחָשׁ (nāḥāš))^H5175.” Also in Isaiah 27:1, we are told by God, “In that day (Judgment Day) the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan (לִוְיָתָן (livyāṯān))^H3882  the piercing (בָּרִחַ (bāriaḥ))^H1281 serpent (נָחָשׁ (nāḥāš))^H5175, even leviathan (לִוְיָתָן (livyāṯān))^H3882 that crooked (עֲקַלָּתוֹן (ʿăqallāṯôn))^H6129serpent (נָחָשׁ (nāḥāš))^H5175; and he shall slay the dragon (תַּנִּין (tannîn))^H8577 that [is] in the sea.” [NOTE: The original Hebrew word for “crooked“, עֲקַלָּתוֹן(ʿăqallāṯôn))^H6129, is found only this once in the Bible, means “crooked” or “tortuous” like a snake.]

*NOTE: It seems more than a bit awkward that the same original Hebrew word for “leviathan“, is translated as “mourning” in the King James Version in Job 3:8, “Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.” While not easily understood, we can at least say that this word is an ominous one.

Moreover the very same original Hebrew word, נָחָשׁ (nāḥāš)^H5175, which is translated as “serpent” in the above verse, is the same word first found in the Bible in Genesis 3:1, “¶Now the serpent (נָחָשׁ (nāḥāš))^H5175 was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” So then,  it would seem that God has not only equated that “serpent” with the devil, but also the “leviathan“ and the “dragon“ (and even the great “whales“ תַּנִּין (tannîn)^H8577 going all the way back in Genesis 1:24)

The two remaining Bible verses that address “leviathan” are:

1. Psalm 74:12-14 which states, “For God [is] my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, [and] gavest him [to be] meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.“
2. Psalm 104:26, “There go the ships: [there is] that leviathan, [whom] thou hast made to play therein.” 

Verse by Verse Review of Job 41:1-34

Job 41:1, “¶Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord [which] thou lettest down?“

When viewed as only addressing the man, Job, clearly the answer to this and all of the ensuing question is only “NO”. The leviathan is an unconquerable sea creature. Bear in mind that this question, and all of the ensuing questions by God are entirely rhetorical, because only God can answer affirmatively, “YES”.

Job 41:2, “Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?“

Again the point is made that the unconquerable see creature (evidently known to Job) cannot even be taken with something like a harpoon. These first two verses challenge Job’s relative insignificant humanity in comparison to God’s power and dominion over all Creation. The ensuing verses however animate and anthropomorphize the sea creature, such that Leviathan becomes a metaphor.

Job 41:3, “Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?“

The question is will this Leviathan beg Job for mercy? Will the leviathan intreat with tender words to Job as one would appeal to God for mercy?

Job 41:4, “Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?“

Will the Leviathan made a pledge or a promise to Job? Will Job be able to have Leviathan as an eternal slave? (as though he would be willing to be subject to Job…which he would not!)

Job 41:5, “Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?“

Could Leviathan be played with as a pet bird? Could Job trap and cage Leviathan to keep for his own young girls as a pet?

Job 41:6, “Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?“

If Job could actually catch Leviathan, would Job try to make merchandise of him?, or would Job try to sell parts of Leviathan to his associates?

Job 41:7, “Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?“

This question renews the issue of is it possible for Job to catch Leviathan…and kill Leviathan?

Job 41:8, “Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.“

This continues the point. If Job can catch Leviathan, then simply make a record of that battle with him, Job need not do anymore.

Job 41:9, “Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?“

This verse is effectively saying, forget it Job, you do not have a chance in getting him. It is futile for anyone to think that they could succeed. Anyone who thinks it is possible is simply deceiving himself because he would be “hurled back” (“cast down“) just at the sight of Leviathan.

Job 41:10, “None [is so] fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?“

The reason is that there is nothing so “fierce” (“overpoweringly deadly”) to confront Leviathan: what person could possibly “stand” (“present themselves”) before God, Himself? (face to face)

Job 41:11, “Who hath prevented me, that I should repay [him? whatsoever is] under the whole heaven is mine.“

This verse is effectively saying, “Who has gone before God, such that God should answer to that person “peace or reward”? Is there anyone who existed before God…? and…Finally, all of Creation belongs to God!

We could say that these last two verses are an “aside” commentary by God to make the following point…Regarding this creation of God’s, Leviathan, no human being is strong or bold enough to arouse and contend with Leviathan, much less anyone thinking that they can stand face to face before God! God is greater than Leviathan because God created him. Likewise, who is it that leads, or precedes God to show Him what to do? Is there anyone that is before God that God should reward that person? The answer is NO ONE!

The Apostle Paul reiterates these points almost verbatim as we read in Romans 11:33-36, “¶O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? ¶For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.“

Other pertinent verses:

Exodus 19:5, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine:“

Deuteronomy 10:14, “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens [is] the LORD’S thy God, the earth [also], with all that therein [is].“

Psalm 24:1, “¶[[A Psalm of David.]] The earth [is] the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

Psalm 50:12, “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world [is] mine, and the fulness thereof.“

1 Corinthians 10:26, “For the earth [is] the Lord’s,  and the fulness thereof.“

1 Corinthians 10:28, “But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth [is] the Lord’s,  and the fulness thereof:“

For more on God’s complete and total Sovereignty, please see: “The Real Inconvenient Truth“.

Job 41:12, “I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.“

God is stating that He will not “conceal” (e.g., “be silent about”) the Leviathan’s “parts” (“lies”) nor the Leviathan’s “power” (“strength”).

It should be noted that there is something that is very significant in this verse, in which God has provided us with another “Hidden Spiritual Gem“. The original Hebrew word that was translated by the King James translators as “parts” is בַּד (baḏ)^H907, is translated everywhere else in the Bible as either lie (3x) or liar (2x). The King James translators were not thinking “spiritually”, but rather “literally”, and therefore inserted “parts” rather than “lies”, because, from a “literal” perspective, “lies” did not make any sense to them. However, from a “spiritual” perspective, given that God is describing the devil in a metaphoric way, “lies” makes perfect sense. When Jesus denounced the Jews who sought to kill him, Jesus said in John 8:44, “Ye are of [your] father the devil,  and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” God concealed the truth of the passage from the translators (and hence from most casual readers of the English Bible), but now God has allowed the truth to be told (given that we are now in the end times). For another example of how the translators saw only the literal implications, and not the spiritual, of such passages…Please see the post: “Hidden Spiritual Gem #5 in the Bible: A Misinterpretation Found In Nehemiah Chapter 2“

God will also not be silent about the Leviathan’s beautiful appearance (“estimation”, “value”, “price”, or “frame”). God created Leviathan as a metaphor for the devil to make the point that the devil was an amazing creation. The devil is evil, a murderer, and the father of lies. He is also beguiling. Even when the devil is first introduced in Genesis 3:1, we were told that the “serpent” (the devil) was “more ‘subtil’ than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made” And the original Hebrew word translated as “subtil” is עָרוּם (ʿārûm)^H6175 which is more often interpreted as “cunning” and “crafty” in an evil manner.

Remember also how the devil was metaphorically described by God as “king of Tyrus” in Ezekiel 28:12-19 that included his having the following attributes: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.”and “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God;” and “Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” and “thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness:I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”

God created the leviathan (the devil) with purpose; for his parts (his evil lies), strength (his will), and appearance (his attractive beguiling nature to the reprobate sons of Adam). The devil is full of lies, is deceitful, and is seductive with those lies.

For more on how God uses the devil as a tool for God’s purposes, please see this post: “The Songs of Moses“

The following verses provide a description of leviathan’s “physical” attributes.

Job 41:13, “Who can discover the face of his garment? [or] who can come [to him] with his double bridle?“

The first question can be understood to mean, “Who can cause to be uncovered how the leviathan (devil) appears, or what form he takes?”…the answer is NO one but God!

The second question can be understood to mean, “Who can come near to the leviathan (devil) with a doubly strong restraint of both his actions and his mouth?”…the answer is NO one but God!

Essentially, God is making the point that there is no one else but God who can be brave enough to come close enough and has authority enough to know his looks (devices) and not be threatened even if the leviathan (devil) is doubly restrained.

Job 41:14, “Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth [are] terrible round about.“

This question begs the question of who is it that can control of the mouth of the leviathan?, because the doors of the face are his jaws, and the leviathan’s teeth are dreadful round about. The leviathan is a devourer! …the answer is NO one but God!

Note: Both verses 13 and 14 make reference to the face and mouth…from which come “words”, which in the case of the devil will only be deceitful, murderous, lies.

Job 41:15, “[His] scales [are his] pride, shut up together as [with] a close seal.“

The leviathan’s “scales” is the original Hebrew word, אָפִיק (‘āp̄îq)^H650, which has translated variously into English as river (10x), channel (3x), stream (2x), brooks (1x), mighty (1x), scales (1x), strong (1x), so it is difficult to be sure of the exact spiritual meaning, but clearly it is a feature that is integral to the leviathan’s (devil’s) “pride” (meaning “arrogant pride”). Moreover, those prideful features are tightly bound together.

But how they are bound is a bit of a mystery, because the word that is translated by the King James translators as “close” is the original Hebrew word, צַר (ṣar)^H6862, which has been translated variously in following manner: enemy (37x), adversary (26x), trouble (17x), distress (5x), affliction (3x), foes (2x), narrow (2x), strait (2x), flint (1x), sorrow (1x), miscellaneous (9x). It would seem that it could be saying that they are bound together…as in a tight, adversarial, and distressing manner with a seal (like that used with a king’s signet ring). By implication again, ONLY God is able break asunder those features of Leviathan (devil).

Job 41:16, “One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.“

This verse reiterates and amplifies how tightly those “features of pride” of Leviathan are bound together. From a purely physical perspective it is easy to understand this to be stating only that no air can come between them (which at least does suggest that no physical life could exist there, because life needs air to continue). However, the original Hebrew word that is translated as “air” is רוּחַ (rûaḥ) ^H7307, which has been translated variously as Spirit or spirit (232x), wind (92x), breath (27x), side (6x), mind (5x), blast (4x), vain (2x), air (1x), anger (1x), cool (1x), courage (1x), miscellaneous (6x). So we could also say that it is not just physical life, but spiritual life, that cannot breach those features of pride of the Leviathan (hence the devil).

Job 41:17, “They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.”

Leviathan’s (devil’s) “features of pride” are so strongly bound that they “stick together”, such that they simply are impenetrable and cannot be separated apart. We should consider that this leviathan (representing the devil) thinks that his exterior, composed of his pride, is impenetrable. His body is tightly joined, which would could say in the case of the devil would be comprised of his followers who are unified (cannot be separated or divided) and a source of his pride in that they offer no hope of life (eternal life).

Job 41:18, “By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes [are] like the eyelids of the morning.“

The word “neesings” is translated from the original Hebrew word, עֲטִישָׁה (ʿăṭîšâ)^H5846, which is found only once in the Bible, and is consistently considered to mean “sneezings”. The “light” is the same original Hebrew word, אוֹר (‘ôr)^H216, which we read about in Genesis 1:3, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” and then in Genesis 1:5, “And God called the light Day,…” so we can deduce that the leviathan “appeared” to bring “daylight”. This is made more clear by saying that the leviathan’s eyes were “like” the “dawning” of the “morning”.

But let us not forget how God described the devil in Isa 14:12, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” The point being that the devil comes looking like the Savior, Jesus Christ, who is spoken of in Malachi 4:2, “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” The devil mimics/imitates Jesus, but he can only kill and never make alive. So we can see yet another analogy between the leviathan and the devil in this verse as well.

Job 41:19, “Out of his mouth go burning lamps, [and] sparks of fire leap out“.

The word “lamps” is, in the original Hebrew, לַפִּיד (lapîḏ) ^H3940, which has been translated variously as lamp (7x), firebrand (2x), torch (2x), brand (1x), lightning (1x), burning (1x). Here again an analogy is being made between the leviathan (the devil) exhibiting the appearance of Jesus.

1. Isaiah 62:1, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ)) ^H3940 [that] burneth.”
2. Daniel 10:6, “His body also [was] like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps (לַפִּיד (lapîḏ))^H3940 of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.”
3. Jeremiah 23:29, “[Is] not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces?“
4. Rev 1:14-16, “His head and [his] hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength.”

The association of these leviathan attributes with Jesus are striking, but we have to remember what we are told in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

Job 41:20, “Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as [out] of a seething pot or caldron.”

Look at how amazingly this verse and the following mimic/imitate the attributes declared to be associated with God!

Psalm 18:6-15, “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness [was] under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him [were] dark waters [and] thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness [that was] before him his thick clouds passed, hail [stones] and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail [stones] and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.” [NOTE: The word, “channels” is in the original Hebrew, אָפִיק (‘āp̄îq)^H650, which is the same word found earlier in verse 15, but there was translated as “scales”!]

Job 41:21, “His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.“

The original Hebrew word translated as “breath” is נֶפֶשׁ (nep̄eš)^H5315, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: soul (475x), life (117x), person (29x), mind (15x), heart (15x), creature (9x), body (8x), himself (8x), yourselves (6x), dead (5x), will (4x), desire (4x), man (3x), themselves (3x), any (3x), appetite (2x), miscellaneous (47x).

The original Hebrew word translated as “coals” is, גַּחֶלֶת (gaḥeleṯ)^H1513, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: coals (17x), coals of fire (1x).

The original Hebrew word translated as “flame” is לַהַב (lahaḇ)^H3851, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: flame (8x), blade (2x), glittering (1x), bright (1x).

So then, we could say that this verse could also read: “The leviathan’s (devil’s) ‘soul’ kindeleth ‘coals of fire’ and a flame goeith out of his mouth“. Again we are reminded how this mimics what we read of God in Psalm 18:8, “There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.”

This is completely consistent with what we find regarding the devil desiring to be just like God in Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” but we know the devil’s fate as it is stated clearly in the very next verse in Isaiah 14:15, “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.“

Job 41:22, “In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.”

The original Hebrew word translated as “remaineth” is לוּן (lûn)^H3885, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: lodge (33x), murmur (14x), … the night (14x), abide (7x), remain (6x), tarry (2x), lodge in (2x), continue (1x), dwell (1x), endure (1x), grudge (1x), left (1x), lie (1x), variant (3x).

The original Hebrew word translated as “strength” is עֹז (ʿōz)^H5797, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: strength (60x), strong (17x), power (11x), might (2x), boldness (1x), loud (1x), mighty (1x).

So we could say that this verse is also saying “In leviathan’s (devil’s) neck dwells strength”…therefore we could say that the leviathan, hence the devil, is “stiffnecked”.

The second part of the verse makes it clear that the leviathan, hence the devil, rejoices in bringing sorrow…he thrives on it!

Job 41:23, “The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.“

The original Hebrew word translated as “flakes is “מַפָּל (mapāl)“, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: flakes (1x), refuse (1x). but when looked at more closely, the idea is that which is “falling off” or “saggings” of the leviathan’s skin.

The original Hebrew word translated as “joined together” is דָּבַק (dāḇaq)^H1692, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: cleave (32x), follow hard (5x), overtake (3x), stick (3x), keep fast (2x), …together (2x), abide (1x), close (1x), joined (1x), pursued (1x), take (1x).

The original Hebrew word translated as “firm” is יָצַק (yāṣaq)^H3332, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: pour (21x), cast (11x), …out (7x), molten (6x), firm (2x), set down (1x), fast (1x), groweth (1x), hard (1x), overflown (1x), stedfast (1x).

So we could say that this verse is also saying that “The saggings of the leviathan’s (the devil’s) flesh cleave to him and are firm (overflowing and stedfast) and unmovable in themselves.” The leviathan’s (the devil’s) being is firm, strong, and impenetrable, and fat with his prey.

Job 41:24, “His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether [millstone].”

The first part of this verse tells us that leviathan’s (the devil’s) heart is as “firm” (again יָצַק (yāṣaq)^H3332) as a stone (אֶבֶן (‘eḇen))^H68 which leads us to another mimicing by the leviathan (the devil) of God, as we read in Genesis 49:24, “But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the shepherd, the stone (אֶבֶן (‘eḇen))^H68 of Israel:).

The second part of the verse reiterates the hardness of leviathan’s heart…it is as hard (firm, יָצַק (yāṣaq)^H3332) as a piece of a nether (“lower” as in deep, underground, as in a hard rock mine). [NOTE: that “millstone” is implied, but evidently is a reasonable translation, as millstones are made of very hard rock].

We can all agree that the devil is extremely “hard hearted”!

Job 41:25, “When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

This is an extremely difficult verse to exegete, because of the incredible variance in the meanings of each of the five original Hebrew words found within it. The single original Hebrew word that is translated as “When he raiseth up himself” is שְׂאֵת (śᵊ’ēṯ)^H7613, which the King James translators have interpreted variously as: rising (7x), dignity (2x), excellency (2x), accepted (1x), highness (1x), raise up (1x). This is reminiscent of what we find in 2 Thessalonians 2:3&4, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

The original Hebrew word for “the mighty” is אַיִל (‘ayil)^H352, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: ram(s) (156x), post(s) (21x), mighty (men) (4x), trees (2x), lintel (1x), oaks (1x).

The original Hebrew word for “are afraid” is גּוּר (gûr)^H1481, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: sojourn (58x), dwell (12x), afraid (6x), stranger (6x), gather together (4x), fear (3x), abide (2x), assemble (1x), stand in awe (1x), gathered (1x), inhabitant (1x), remain (1x), sojourners (1x), surely (1x).

The original Hebrew word for “by reason of breakings” is שֶׁבַר (šeḇar)^H7667, which which the King James translators interpreted variously as: destruction (21x), breach (7x), hurt (4x), breaking (3x), affliction (2x), bruise (2x), crashing (1x), interpretation (1x), vexation (1x), miscellaneous (2x).

The original Hebrew word for “they purify themselves” is חָטָא (ḥāṭā’)^H2398, which the King James translators interpreted variously as: sin (188x), purify (11x), cleanse (8x), sinner (8x), committed (6x), offended (4x), blame (2x), done (2x), fault (1x), harm (1x), loss (1x), miss (1x), offender (1x), purge (1x), reconciliation (1x), sinful (1x), trespass (1x).

So it could just be that there is a much more complex “spiritual” meaning to be had from this verse than it would initially be understood in a cursory reading from only a purely “earthly” perspective…

It may just be that this verse could be telling us on a “spiritual” level that “Because of the uprising excellency of the Leviathan (the devil), the sons of men (גּוּר (gûr)^H1481), scatter and dwell together for fear of him and by reason of breaking (שֶׁבַר (šeḇar)^H7667), meaning ruin or destruction, as in Proverbs 16:18) they (the sons of men) (חָטָא (ḥāṭā’)^H2398), and either cleanse, meaning attempt to cleanse; OR sin, meaning do the same, as in create ruin themselves. So when the devil rules, men are subject to and objects of his destruction, so much so, that they seek to get right with him (purify themselves via the devil’s false gospels). 

Job 41:26, “The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.“

There is no earthly weapon of war that can rise up and reach (defeat) the leviathan, therefore no man can harm or kill leviathan (the devil) or be able to defend himself from him. But we know that God can destroy the devil bearing in mind these verses:

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.“

Revelation 1:16, describing The Lord Jesus Christ having the “Sword” that can defeat the devil, “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance [was] as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Job 41:27, “He esteemeth iron as straw, [and] brass as rotten wood.“

This verse is much more straight forward. The leviathan (the devil) regards iron as weak as straw, [and] brass as nothing but rotten wood.

However, we should be cognizant again of how these two metals are referenced elsewhere in the Bible. These two metals are spiritual references to God’s Judgments for sin and are intimately linked with Hell, the ultimate punishment.

God promised to national Israel if they were disobedient to His Commandments, which included what we are told in 

1. Leviticus 26:18&19, “And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:“
2. In Psalm 107:16, we read prophetically about Jesus conquering Hell for the believers, “For he (Jesus) hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.” and
3. In Isaiah 45:2, “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:“

The bottom line is that leviathan (the devil) has no regard for God’s wrath and judgment and dismisses that impending doom as though he will not be subject to them somehow despite what the devil was told explicitly in Isaiah 14:12-15.

Job 41:28, “The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.“

This would seem to be a reiteration of the points made in the previous verses. No earthly weapon can defeat the leviathan (the devil).

Job 41:29, “Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.“

The darts (clubs) are likewise regarded as “stubble” (harmless chaff). The leviathan (the devil) laughs at the shaking (rattling) of another earthly weapon, a spear, at him.

Job 41:30, “Sharp stones [are] under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.“

1) The first part of this verse tells us that “Sharp stones” are underneath the leviathan. When we look at the original Hebrew word for “stones“, which is חֶרֶשׂ (ḥereś)^H2789, it has actually been variously translated by the King James translators elsewhere in the Bible as: earthen (8x), potsherd (5x), sherd (2x), stone (1x), earth (1x). So we can see that the verse is actually telling us that broken pieces of pottery are underneath this monstrous beast. When we compare scripture with scripture we find that this is spiritually referring to the broken souls of mankind. God is the Potter and we are the vessels of earth made by His Hands. Please see the study: “The Potter and the Clay“

Remembering that those who are in league with the devil, the heathen, Jesus will break in pieces on Judgment Day just like He said in Psalm 2:7-9, “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.“

Compare with Revelation 2:27, “And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.“

2) The second part of the verse includes some key words that make the exegesis difficult. When we look at the original Hebrew word for “spreadeth“, which is רָפַד (rāp̄aḏ)^H7502, it has actually been variously translated by the King James translators elsewhere in the Bible as: spread (1x), made (1x), comfort (1x). However, that word is (according to “Strong’s Definitions”) “by implication, to refresh:—comfort, make (a bed), spread.”

Interestingly, the original Hebrew word translated as “sharp pointed things” is חָרוּץ (ḥārûṣ)^H2742, which has been translated by the King James translators elsewhere in the Bible variously as: gold (6x), diligent (5x), decision (2x), threshing instrument (2x), sharp (1x), sharp things (1x), wall (1x).

Finally, the original Hebrew word translated as “mire” is טִיט (ṭîṭ)^H2916, which has been translated by the King James translators elsewhere in the Bible variously as: mire (8x), clay (3x), dirt (2x). However, when we look at the contexts in which this word “mire” is found, we find the that the word is intimately linked with Hell:

1. Psalm 40:2, “He (God) brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of ^H2916 the miry clay, ^H2916 and set my feet upon a rock, [and] established my goings.“
2. Psalm 69:14, “Deliver me out of the mire, ^H2916 and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.“

We might say therefore that God seems to be making a “spiritual” point that the leviathan (the devil) makes his bed in Hell upon these broken potsherds (the destroyed souls of men), that he “threshed”, as though they were “gold” to him. Isaiah 45:9, “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! [Let] the potsherd (חֶרֶשׂ (ḥereś))^H2789 [strive] with the potsherds (חֶרֶשׂ (ḥereś))^H2789of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?” Clearly God is comparing sinful mankind as being like “potsherds”.

Note: Another original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “mire” is חֹמֶר (ḥōmer)^H2563, which has been translated variously as: clay (11x), homer (11x), morter (4x), mire (2x), heap (2x). When we look closely at the contexts, we see another similar theme: Isaiah 29:16, “Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as ^H2563 the potter’s clay: ^H2563 for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?” We see that the mire is the material that the potter crafts into pots. And then in Job 10:9, “Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; ^H2563 and wilt thou bring me into dust again?” and finally in Job 10:9, “Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; ^H2563 and wilt thou bring me into dust again?” Which also brings us back to Genesis 3:19, where God cursed Adam for his disobedience, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.” Again, please the study: “The Potter and the Clay”

Job 41:31, “He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.”

1) In the first part of the verse, the original Hebrew word for “deep” is מְצוֹלָה (mᵊṣôlâ)^H4688, which has been translated by the King James translators elsewhere in the Bible variously as: deep (5x), deeps (3x), depths (2x), bottom (1x). But the meaning is to be found within the context of where the word is applied, which clearly once again points us to “Hell”.

1. Psalm 69:2, “I sink in deep ^H4688 mire, where [there is] no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
2. Psalm 69:15, “Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep ^H4688 swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.“
3. Psalm 88:6, “Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. ^H4688“
4. Jonah 2:3, “For thou hadst cast me into the deep, ^H4688 in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.” (Please also see: “The Book of Jonah”)

The original Hebrew word for “pot” is סִיר (sîr)^H5518, which has been translated by the King James translators elsewhere in the Bible variously as: pot (21x), caldron (5x), thorns (4x), washpot (with H7366) (2x), pans (1x), fishhooks (with H1729) (1x).

2) In the second part of the verse, the original Hebrew word for “like a pot of ointment” is מֶרְקָחָה (merqāḥâ)^H4841, is only found twice in the Bible as either pot of ointment (1x), well (1x), but is taken from a root word, רָקַח (rāqaḥ)^H7543 that is typical of a sweet smelling ointment of the apothecary used for “anointing” a we see in Exodus 30:25, “And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: ^H7543 it shall be an holy anointing oil.”

It would seem as though, from “spiritual” standpoint that the leviathan (the devil) is intimately associated with making Hell to boil like a cauldron and Hell to serve as his anointing oil that might seem sweet, but only destroys.

Job 41:32, “He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.“

The first part of this verse is straightforward, but the word “shine” is the word אוֹר (‘ôr)^H215  again, so the leviathan (the devil) gives the appearance of having his pathway be a source of light and life, and in doing so it means that the light is influenced or perverted by him.

The second part of the verse is a bit more complex as the original Hebrew word for “[one] would think” is חָשַׁב (ḥāšaḇ)^H2803, which the King James translators have interpreted variously as: count (23x), devise (22x), think (18x), imagine (9x), cunning (8x), reckon (7x), purpose (6x), esteem (6x), account (5x), impute (4x), forecast (2x), regard (2x), workman (2x), conceived (1x), miscellaneous (9x).

and the he original Hebrew word for “the deep” is תְּהוֹם (tᵊhôm)^H8415, which the King James translators have interpreted variously as: deep (20x), depth (15x), deep places (1x). However, when we again look at the contexts where this word is found, we again see a direct correlation with “Hell” such as in Jonah 2:5, “The waters compassed me about, [even] to the soul: the depth ^H8415 closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.”

But then we see this reference to the word “hoary”, which in the original Hebrew is שֵׂיבָה (śêḇâ)^H7872, translated variously as: old age (6x), gray hairs (6x), hoar head (3x), hoary head (2x), grayheaded (1x), hoary (1x). This word gives us an important clue. In Proverbs 16:31, “The hoary head ^H7872 [is] a crown of glory, [if] it be found in the way of righteousness.“

So then, could this verse be saying that the leviathan (the devil) gives the appearance of having his pathway be a source of light and life, leading “one” to think/imagine/reckon that this pathway is one of wisdom (being “hoary”)? But the believer knows that it is not, because it is not “in the way of righteousness“! The devil, “He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.”(1 John 2:22). The devil comes looking like Jesus, but is a liar and a deceiver.

Is not this that we are told in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.“

The “false Christ” offers only false hope, and he comes with a false gospel and the reward is only Hell.

Job 41:33, “Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.”

The first part of this verse is indeed very straightforward. And we sing in “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”…”On earth is not his equal.” The devil reigns supreme over this world. We should also remember what Jesus said in John 18:36, “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.“

The second part is quite ominous.

The original Hebrew word for “made” is עָשָׂה (ʿāśâ)^H6213, which has been translated variously as: do (1,333x), make (653x), wrought (52x), deal (52x), commit (49x), offer (49x), execute (48x), keep (48x), shew (43x), prepare (37x), work (29x), do so (21x), perform (18x), get (14x), dress (13x), maker (13x), maintain (7x), miscellaneous (154x).

The original Hebrew word for “made” is חַת (ḥaṯ)^H2844, which has been translated variously as: dread (1x), broken (1x), fear (1x), dismayed (1x).

So it would seem that we are reminded that the leviathan (the devil) has no equal on earth, and he does/executes/works without any dread. The devil is fearless in his destructive actions.

The Horror is…the devil does not fear anything, even the Wrath of God! This is the terrible nature of all of reprobate mankind (the children of pride). They neither love God, nor fear God’s Wrath! Therefore they will never sue God for mercy, and are just like the devil with whom they are allied, and are destined only for the same fate…destruction and an eternity in Hell.

Job 41:34, “He beholdeth all high [things]: he is a king over all the children of pride.“

The original Hebrew word for “beholdeth” is רָאָה (rā’â)^H7200, which the King James translators have interpreted variously as: see (879x), look (104x), behold (83x), shew (68x), appear (66x), consider (22x), seer (12x), spy (6x), respect (5x), perceive (5x), provide (4x), regard (4x), enjoy (4x), lo (3x), foreseeth (2x), heed (2x), miscellaneous (74x).

The original Hebrew word for “high” is גָּבֹהַּ (gāḇōha)^H1364, which the King James translators have interpreted variously as: high (24x), higher (5x), lofty (2x), exceeding (1x), haughty (1x), height (1x), highest (1x), proud (1x), proudly (1x).

So we can interpret this verse as saying that the leviathan (the devil) perceives all high, lofty, haughty and proud [things], and is the king over all of the children of pride. Remembering what God says about all such in Psalm 10:4, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek [after] God: God [is] not in all his thoughts.” Proverbs 16:18, “Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.“

“His craft and power are great, And, armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.”

Conclusion

Job Chapter 42 makes clear that just as Job, the man, has no power to subdue the leviathan (a beastly creation of God), so too no man can subdue the devil (another beastly creation of God). The Good News is that God, through the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, not only can subdue the devil and his evil devices, but will destroy the devil forever on Judgment Day.

The “leviathan” as presented in Job, Chapter 41, is an allegorical account detailing the strength, power, wisdom, and appeal of the devil, which no one can ever even hope to overcome and/or resist, in and of himself or herself. And most frightening of all, the devil has all knowledge that is far above any man of God’s ways and means. The devil understands the parables/proverbs of God and their “spiritual” meanings.

We should be reminded of Daniel 8:23-25, “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify [himself] in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.“

James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.“

But the devil CANNOT obey!…he CANNOT love God…or anyone!!

Repentance, Redemption and Restoration

So the message to us is that Job saw that his piety, his faith, his respect of God could not save him.

Job was awakened to the reality that God Is The Creator, and that God created both the “behemoth” and the “leviathan” (stubborn prideful creatures picturing the devil) to serve God’s purposes…just as God actually created the devil, the adversary, for God’s purposes… and that only God will ultimately have the power to destroy the him on Judgment Day.

In Job 42:6, we read that Job repented when confronted with the reality of his inherent sin, along with recognizing the power of the adversary (the devil, the very one who brought upon Job all of his, and all of mankind’s, agonies).

Job learned that only God, as Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ, Job’s Redeemer), had the power to save him from his sins. The same is true for every human being! (Job 19:25, “For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:“)

Job Understood His Need for Redemption and Reconciliation.

Only the awakened sinner will realize his or her helpless estate, and that he or she is no match for the devil, let alone for the Almighty God, Who created all things, including all of mankind and the devil.

The final message is that everyone must repent of all sins and humbly seek God’s mercy, which is found only in the Person and Work of God’s Son, The Lord Jesus Christ. God decrees full restoration upon the repentant sinner so that those within the Elect Body of Christ can once again come into the presence of God…but to a MUCH better place than the Garden of Eden…they will be together with the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the New Heavens and New Earth.

Psalm 34:18, “The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” and Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.“

Dear reader, if there be ANY doubt in your mind as to the validity of this study concerning the “Leviathan” and its spiritual representation of the devil as being in all conformity with God’s Word, then please carefully ponder God’s statement concerning Judgment Day and the devil’s destruction for eternity: Isaiah 27:1, “¶ In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that [is] in the sea.“

Introduction

In the Book of Job, chapter 40, God dedicates the last ten verses of the chapter to provide His description of a very large and fearsome land dwelling creature, which is called “behemoth”, leaving one to wonder what is the point of that? Was it simply to provide an example of God’s great might and superior creative power whereby Job would thus be diminished by comparison? Or is there something else…beyond the physical…which could easily be overlooked when understanding the Bible only from a literal, grammatical, and historical perspective?

This study will show that there is, indeed, far more than just meets the “physical” eye as viewed from only a human perspective, if God is so pleased to allow one to see from a “spiritual” perspective, having blessed him or her with “Spiritual Ears and Spiritual Eyes“. God also specifies in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” The means of comparing spiritual things with spiritual is by carefully comparing of scripture with scripture, searching out the words for their original Hebrew meanings, because all Biblical scripture is spiritual, precisely as we are told in 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.“

Spiritual Perspective: This study will show that God provided to Job (and us) with a spiritual allegorical portrait of the great adversary of God and all mankind, the Devil/Satan.

Dear reader, please read on to see the explanation of this otherwise hidden spiritual truth.

Before reading further, this teacher would like the reader to understand what is a “parable” and how and why Jesus ALWAYS employed parables when speaking to the multitudes. Moreover, the purpose of “parables” (often referred to as “earthly stories with heavenly meanings”) has everything to do with God’s Magnificent Plan of Salvation. Therefore, the Bible should NEVER be assumed to be read and understood from a purely superficial, earthly, perspective.

Verse by Verse, Hebraic Word Study of Job 40:15-24

Beginning in Job 40:15, when God was speaking to Job out of a “whirlwind“, we are first introduced to an unusually large and strong creature whom God describes as the “behemoth“, saying:

1) Job 40:15, “Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass (חָצִיר (ḥāṣîr))^H2682 as an ox.”

So then the behemoth, which in the original Hebrew is בַּהֲמוֹת (bahămôṯ)^H930 (a masculine noun that is found only once in the whole Bible), is another “creature”, just like Job, a man, who only God, Alone, could make. The Behemoth was also evidently created at about the same time. Note that the behemoth is described as being a vegetarian because he eats “grass” like an ox (and hence not a carnivore, at least it appears to be the case until we look more closely at this verse).

But what does God have to say about “grass” in the Bible? One thing that we are told in both the Old and New Testaments is that, from a spiritual perspective, mankind can be likened to grass as we read in Psalm 103:15&16, “[As for] man, his days [are] as grass (חָצִיר (ḥāṣîr))^H2682: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.” and 1 Peter 1:24, “For all flesh [is] as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower  thereof falleth away:“

Spiritual Perspective: So, oddly enough, it would seem that the behemoth could be “spiritually” viewed as capable of eating people? It is therefore worth remembering what we are told in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:“

* Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “behemoth” is closely associated with another Hebrew word, בְּהֵמָה (bᵊhēmâ)^H929, which is found nearly 200 times in the Bible, interpreted as either beast (136x), cattle (53x). And it should be particularly noted what we are told in Genesis 3:14&15, when God cursed the devil, “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle (בְּהֵמָה (bᵊhēmâ))^H929 and above every beast (חַי (ḥay))^H2416of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” [NOTE: The word that is translated as “beast”, חַי (ḥay)^H2416, is translated elsewhere in the Old Testament variously as live (197x), life (144x), beast (76x), alive (31x), creature (15x),running (7x), living thing (6x), raw (6x), miscellaneous (19x). Therefore, from a spiritual standpoint, it could be interpreted to mean “all living creatures”.]

2) Job 40:16, we read, “Lo now, his strength [is] in his loins, and his force [is] in the navel of his belly.”

Each word has various alternative ways of being translated into English.

The word for “strength” is in the original Hebrew כֹּחַ (kōaḥ) ^H3581, which has been translated by the King James translators variously as strength (58x), power (47x), might (7x), force (3x), ability (2x),  able (2x), able (with H6113) (1x), chameleon (1x), fruits (1x),  powerful (1x), substance (1x), wealth (1x). [Note that one time it is translated as a large unclean lizard, which is a bit surprising to say the least.]

The word for “force” is in the original Hebrew is אוֹן (‘ôn)^H202, which has been translated by the King James translators variously as strength (7x), might (2x), force (1x), goods (1x), substance (1x). It can be said that it is referring to vigor, generative power, wealth, or physical strength. However, interestingly, it is derived from the root word, אָוֶן (‘āven)^H205, which has been translated by the King James translators variously as iniquity (47x), wicked(ness) (8x), vanity (6x),  affliction (3x), mischief (3x), unrighteous (2x), evil (1x), false (1x),  idol (1x), mourners (1x), mourning (1x), nought (1x), sorrow (1x), unjust (1x), vain (1x).

Spiritual Perspective: Note that each of these attributes can be “spiritually” ascribed to the devil, one way or another.

The word for “navel” is שָׁרִיר (šārîr)^H8306, which is only found once in the entire Bible (here in Job), but is similar to שֹׁר (H8270) and שֹׁרֶר (H8326), which have also been translated as “navel” and refer to a hard part of the belly or umbilical cord. However, interestingly enough, the word is said to derived from a root word, שָׁרַר (shârar)^H8324, which is said to be hostile, an opponent, hence an “enemy”.

Spiritual Perspective: So then, we see repetitive indications that the behemoth is a creature that is NOT “good”, but has power and might that can be associated with a large lurking lizard, that is potentially “wicked” and having negative connotations such as that which can be associated with an “enemy” just like the devil. For additional insights on how these words can be metaphorically linked to the devil, please see “The Devil in Disguise: Haman the Agagite and Amalekite“

3) Job 40:17, “He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.“

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “moveth” is חָפֵץ (ḥāp̄ēṣ)^H2654, which has been interpreted variously as delight (39x), please (14x), desire (9x), will (3x), pleasure (3x), favour (2x), like (2x), moveth (1x), would (1x), at all (1x). So, therefore, we could say that this behemoth uses his tail for his pleasure and delight.

His “Tail”

Remember the red dragon, which served as a picture of the devil in Revelation 12:4, “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.“

Spiritual Perspective: The devil “delighted”, and was “pleased”, to destroy one third of the angels with his “tail”. (Please see for example Jude 1:6)

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “tail” is זָנָב (zānāḇ)^H2180, and has consistently been interpreted solely as meaning “tail” (11x).

It is therefore worth a moment to consider the implications of this word, given that it consistently suggests a negative connotation. A few examples:

1. In Deuteronomy 28:13, while discussing the blessings that would come upon Israel if it continued in obedience to God, God said, “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them]:” Note also that the reverse would be the case if Israel became disobedient according to Deuteronomy 28:44.
2. Isaiah 9:15, “The ancient and honourable, he [is] the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he [is] the tail. [Bearing in mind that God is the Ancient and Honorable and the Head, while the devil is the father of lies, and along with his prophets, is the tail. Jesus said, while describing the devil in John 8:44, “…When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.“]
3. Revelation 9:19, “For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails [were] like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.“

Note that the “tail” of the behemoth is compared with a “cedar” (a tree), which is quite large and strong, hence the thought of the tail being something equivalent to a large dinosaur’s tail (when viewed from a purely earthly perspective).

Finally, regarding “tail”, not how in Revelation, Chapter Nine, we read in verses 1&2 that, “¶And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” A bit later in verse 10&11 we read how an army of locusts that had been loosed from the bottomless pit (a picture of Hell) and were described thusly, “And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, [which is] the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath [his] name Apollyon.” Abaddon and Apollyon means “Destroyer”, hence that king/angel is the devil, who we know will be loosed by God during the Final Tribulation.

Near the end of the chapter we read of an army of 200 million horsemen described in verses 17-19, “And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses [were] as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and  brimstone.“By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone,  which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails [were] like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.”

So these “horses” embodied the three key elements of God’s Judgment as we read in Revelation 14:10&11, “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth  the mark of his name.”

Note also that their “power” was in their “mouths” and their “tails” which were like that of “serpents”. This is clearly reminding us that the devil (represented by the serpent), “destroys” both with his tail like the serpent and with his mouth by telling lies. In similar fashion, the behemoth’s tail is clearly powerful, and so is his mouth, which we will read about further on in Job 40:23.

The Sinews and Stones Are Wrapped Together

In the last part of the verse we read “the sinews of his stones are wrapped together“, where the word that is translated as “stones” is פחד (p̄ḥḏ)^H6344 is found only this once in the whole Bible. However, nearly the exact same word, פַּחַד (paḥaḏ)^H6343, is translated variously as fear (40x), dread (3x), great (2x), terror (2x), dreadful (1x), greatly (1x).

Spiritual Perspective: We could therefore say that, somehow, within the behemoth’s sinews and loins is only fear, dread, and terror wrapped together, therefore the behemoth is, by his very essence, quite dreadful…just like the devil.

There is also another more subtle implication when we look at both verses 16 and 17 taken together in that the “loins” and “stones” can also point to the behemoth’s progeny. And the devil’s progeny, or offspring, are his followers. Remember what Jesus said to the self righteous Pharisees in John 8:44, “Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.“

4) Job 40:18, “His bones [are as] strong pieces of brass; his bones [are] like bars of iron.”

This is a very important verse because it is describing the behemoth’s skeletal structure as being equivalent to both “strong pieces of brass” and “bars of iron“. “Brass” and “Iron” are used by God in the Bible to relate to the dominion of Hell. Let’s look at some examples, while bearing in mind what Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter (Πέτρος (petros)) ^G4074, and upon this rock (πέτρα (petra))^G4073 I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.“

1. In Psalm 107:16, we read prophetically about Jesus conquering Hell for the believers, “For he (Jesus)hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.” and in:
2. Isaiah 45:2, “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:“
3. In Deuteronomy 4:20, we read where God compares the salvation of His people, National Israel, as thought they had been taken out Hell (Egypt) where the evil pharaoh was a “type” of the devil, “But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, [even] out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as [ye are] this day.” The “Iron furnace” is a clear reference to Hell, in which Egypt is being used as an allegory of Hell, from which God (by a mighty stretched out arm) brought out and saved His people.
4. Remember also the penalties that God promised to national Israel if they were disobedient to His Commandments, which included what we are told in Leviticus 26:18&19, “And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:” In other words, the disobedient’s heaven will be like Hell.
5. Leviticus 26:19, “And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:”
6. Similarly, in Deuteronomy 28:23, “And thy heaven that [is] over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee [shall be] iron.” and
7. Deuteronomy 33:25, “Thy shoes [shall be] iron and brass; and as thy days, [so shall] thy strength [be].”
8. Isaiahj 48:4, “Because I knew that thou [art] obstinate, and thy neck [is] an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;“
9. Job 28:2, “Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten [out] of the stone.“

Remember also the description of the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ first in Daniel 10:6, “His body also [was] like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.” and then in Revelation 1:15, “And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.” Similarly we read in Revelation 10:1, “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow [was] upon his head, and his face [was] as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:” Indeed, in order to defeat death and Hell, Jesus had to endure death and Hell. And let’s not forget the Brass Serpent on the pole, which God used to represent the fact that Jesus had to become sin for His Elect and that Jesus had to endure the fires of Hell in order to save them.

For more on how God uses “Iron” as a metaphor for “Hell”, please see this post: “The Songs of Moses“

Spiritual Perspective: We could therefore say, from a “spiritual” perspective, that the behemoth can be integrally associated with Hell, given that Hell is consistently represented in the Bible by both “brass” and “bars of iron”.

5) Job 40:19, “He [is] the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach [unto him].“

The word for “chief” is in the original Hebrew רֵאשִׁית (rē’šîṯ)^H7225, which has been translated by the King James translators variously as  beginning (18x), firstfruits (11x), first (9x), chief (8x), miscellaneous (5x). The word for “ways” is in the original Hebrew דֶּרֶךְ (dereḵ)^H1870, which has been translated by the King James translators variously as way (590x), toward (31x), journey (23x), manner (8x), miscellaneous (53x).

The first part of this verse could therefore also be interpreted as saying that the behemoth was from the “beginning”, or “first”, accustomed with the ways of God. Remembering that in Daniel 8:23, which describes the anti-Christ, the devil, “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.” Note that the word that is translated as “dark sayings” is from the original Hebrew חִידָה (ḥîḏâ)^H2420, which has been translated variously as riddle (9x), dark sayings (3x), hard question (2x), dark sentence (1x), proverb (1x), dark speech (1x). Hence the devil understands spiritual implications of God’s Word, but the devil cannot obey it, and can only pervert God’s Word and the devil is forever in rebellion to the Word because the devil is the epitome of evil.

Genesis 3:1 describes the devil (“the serpent“) thusly, “¶Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made…” God created him that way, and the devil serves Go’s purposes as the adversary (which in the Hebrew is שָׂטָן (śāṭān)^H7854). Remember what God said in Isaiah 45:7, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].“

In the second part of the verse we see that it is God who not only made the behemoth, fashioned him, and purposed him, but it is only God who can approach near to that behemoth with a “sword”. What does that imply?

The word for “sword” is in the original Hebrew, חֶרֶב (ḥereḇ)^H2719, which has been translated by the King James translators variously as sword (401x), knife (5x), dagger (3x), axes (1x), mattocks (1x), TOOL (1x), sword (with H3027) (1x), so it is safe to say that this is meant to be a weapon that is used to kill and destroy. For more on how this word is used by God in the Bible, particularly as it relates to God’s Judgment, please see this post: “Lightning, Swords, and Arrows: Weapons of Judgment Coming on Judgment Day“

The words taken together “make” “to approach” are from the original Hebrew word, נָגַשׁ (nāḡaš)^H5066, which as been translated by the King James translators variously as (come, draw, etc)..near (55x), come (14x), (come, draw, etc)..nigh (12x), bring (13x), … hither (7x), offer (7x), approach (5x), forth (3x), miscellaneous (9x). Hence, the word is suggesting a very close approach.

The “Sword” is the “Word of God” Coming Out of the Mouth of Jesus!

The Word of God is equated to a “sword” here in Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” and  Revelation 19:21, “And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.“ Also, Revelation 2:16, “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

We were also told earlier in the Book of Revelation in Revelation 1:16, “He (Jesus) had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two–edged sword, and His countenance [was] like the sun shining in its strength.” and in Revelation 2:12, “¶And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he (Jesus) which hath the sharp sword with two edges;“

Hosea 6:5, “Therefore have I hewed [them] by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments [are as] the light [that] goeth forth.“

Spiritual Perspective: It will be the Word of God (Jesus Christ), coming as a Sword of Judgment that will come near to kill and destroy the devil forever on Judgment Day.

6) Job 40:20, “Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.”

The mountains in the Bible refer to kingdoms. And the kingdoms of this world provide this behemoth his food/prey and it is where the “beasts” of the fields “play”.

As was noted earlier, referring back to Genesis 3:14&15, the original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “beasts” is חַי (ḥay)^H2416, which has been interpreted variously as live (197x), life (144x), beast (76x), alive (31x), creature (15x),  running (7x),living thing (6x), raw (6x), miscellaneous (19x). Therefore, from a spiritual standpoint, in this case, it could be interpreted to mean those who are “physically” “alive”.

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “play” is שָׂחַק (śāḥaq)^H7832, which has been interpreted variously as play (10x), laugh (10x), rejoice (3x), scorn (3x), sport (3x), merry (2x), mock (2x), deride (1x), derision (1x), mockers (1x), which for the most part can be viewed in the negative context consistent with mock, scorn, laugh, deride or showing contempt.

Note also that the Bible refers to the unsaved of mankind as “brute beasts” in both 2 Peter 2:12, “But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;” and in regard to what Jude 1:8 refers to as “filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.“, we read in Jude 1:10, “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.”

And with regard to “mockers” and “scorners”, we read in Jude 1:17-19, “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.” and in Proverbs 3:34, “Surely he (the LORD) scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.” and Proverbs 19:29, “Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.“

Spiritual Perspective: So we can again see that the context can be viewed from a spiritual perspective as describing the devil finding his prey in the earthly kingdoms, where the unsaved live, typified by the beasts and mockers/scorners.

7) Job 40:21, “He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.“

The word in the original Hebrew that has been translated into English as “lieth” is שָׂחַק (śāḥaq)^H7832, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as lie (106x), sleep (48x), lie down (43x), rest (3x), lien (2x), miscellaneous (10x). Interestingly, the Bible also uses this word to suggest a sexual context, as we see in Genesis 19:32-35 and elsewhere (e.g.,Genesis 26:10 and Genesis 30:15).

The word in the original Hebrew that has been translated into English as “shady trees” is צֶאֱלִים (ṣe’ĕlîm)^H6628 is found only twice in the Bible, here and in the very next verse. It is said to also mean “Lotus tree” or “slender”, so it is difficult to ascribe a “spiritual meaning”, however the double use of the word and the context of the next verse makes clear that these shady trees provide a place of concealment and a hiding place. This context is made even more clear by the use of the next key word, “covert“.

The word in the original Hebrew that has been translated into English as “covert” is סֵתֶר (sēṯer)^H5643, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as secret (12x), secretly (9x), covert (5x), secret place (3x), hiding place (2x), backbiting (1x), covering (1x), disguiseth (1x), privily (1x), protection (1x).

Then the word in the original Hebrew that has been translated into English as “reed” is קָנֶה (qānê) ^H7070, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as reed (28x), branch (24x), calamus (3x), cane (2x),  stalk (2x), balance (1x), bone (1x), spearmen (1x), so we can conclude that it is a reedy plant that is associated with a marshland based on it relationship with mire depicted by the next word “fens”

The word in the original Hebrew that has been translated into English as “fens” is בִּצָּה (biṣṣâ)^H1207, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as mire (1x), fens (1x), miry place (1x) suggesting a damp, swampy place. In fact, it is also found earlier in the Book of Job, in Job 8:11, “Can the rush grow up without mire בִּצָּה (biṣṣâ)^H1207? can the flag grow without water?”

When we look elsewhere in the Bible for references to “mire” we find that it is almost always provided in a negative context, most particularly with Hell.

Among the original Hebrew words that are also translated as “mire” is חֹמֶר (ḥōmer)^H2563, which is also translated variously as clay (11x), homer (11x), morter (4x), mire (2x), heap (2x). It is also found in Job 30:19, “He hath cast me into the mire (חֹמֶר (ḥōmer))^H2563, and I am become like dust and ashes.“

Another word in the original Hebrew that is translated as “mire” or “mirey” is יָוֵן (yāvēn)^H3121 as we find in Psalm 69:2, “I sink in יָוֵן (yāvēn)^H3121 deep mire יָוֵן (yāvēn)^H3121, where [there is] no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.” and in Psalm 40:2, “He (The LORD, Who heard his cry) brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, [and] established my goings.“, which in both these cases makes a clear association between Hell (an “horrible pit”) and both “mirey” and deep “mire”, from the which salvation is sought from God.

Spiritual Perspective: Once again there is a negative context, in the which the behemoth (devil) can been seen to be spiritually bankrupt in a concealment setting that can also be associated with Hell.

8) Job 40:22, “The shady trees cover him [with] their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.“

The word in the original Hebrew that has been translated into English as “brook” is נַחַל (naḥal)^H5158, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as river (56x), brook (46x), valley (23x), stream (11x), flood (5x).

Spiritual Perspective: This verse is similar to the previous one, and reinforces that the behemoth, like the devil, is concealed among the shadows, and that he is concealing himself and his activity, which activity also implicitly suggests sexual fornication. The devil and his activities are withheld from the eyes of unsaved and unsuspecting mankind (but not God).

9) In Job 40:23, “Behold, he drinketh up a river, [and] hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.“

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “drinketh” is עָשַׁק (ʿāšaq)^H6231, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as: oppress (23x), oppressor (4x), defraud (3x), wrong (2x), deceived (1x), deceitfully gotten (1x), oppression (1x), drink up (1x), violence (1x). Note how in every single other context, besides “drink up”, the implication is once again entirely negative. And, as a result we could also interpret this verse as saying that the behemoth obtains by “deceit” and “oppresses”/”does violence” and hence has taken dominion over the “river”, נָהָר (nāhā)^H5104 which is generally understood to be a source of life. Note that the first place that this word is found in the Bible is in Genesis 2:10, pertaining to the Garden of Eden where both “the tree of life” and “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” were located: “And a river (נָהָר (nāhā)^H5104 went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.“

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “hasteth” is חָפַז (ḥāp̄az)^H2648, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as haste (3x), to haste (3x), make haste (2x), tremble (1x). Therefore, the behemoth is not alarmed or fearful.

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “trusteth” is בָּטַח (bāṭaḥ)^H982, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as trust (103x), confidence (4x), secure (4x), confident (2x), bold (1x), careless (1x), hope (1x), hoped (1x), ones (1x), sure (1x), women (1x). The behemoth seems to be confident that he can swallow up the river Jordan as though he believes that he has dominion over it.

But what does the river Jordan represent? The Jordan River is a 156-mile-long river that flows north to south from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in the Bible over 185 times, and each time is significant in its own way. For example, Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist (Mark 1:9-11). Naaman the Syrian was cleansed of Leprosy in it (2 Kings 5:10-14).

But we also know that the Jordan river played an important role in serving as an allegorical reference for Hell in Joshua 3:15-17, that apart from God’s intervention, the Jordan River, being at “flood” stage, would have prevented God’s people from entering into the Promised Land (picturing Heaven) after their wilderness sojourn. In the last verse we read, “And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.” Similarly, both Elijah and Elisha were able to cross over the river Jordan without getting wet, as we read in 2 Kings 2:8, “And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped [it] together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.” The waters of Jordan did not touch God’s people in those two cases, just as the fires of Hell cannot touch the elect children of God.

It is no coincidence that we read of the serpent/dragon in Revelation 12:15&16, “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”

Spiritual Perspective: So does not this appear to be saying…from a spiritual perspective…that the devil had taken over dominion of the source of life from Adam and Eve by his “deceit” (he lied to Eve) and that he only “oppresses”/”does violence” to all of mankind as a result. The devil, in his pride, is not afraid of Hell and is confident that he can have dominion over Hell and hence over all of those who are destined for it.

10) In Job 40:24, “He taketh it with his eyes: [his] nose pierceth through snares.“

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “taketh” is לָקַח (lāqaḥ)^H3947, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as take (747x), receive (61x), take away (51x), fetch (31x), bring (25x), get (6x), take out (6x), carry away (5x), married (4x), buy (3x), miscellaneous (26x).

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “nose” is אַף (‘ap̄)^H639, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as anger (172x), wrath (42x), face (22x), nostrils (13x), nose (12x),  angry (4x), longsuffering (with H750) (4x), before (2x), countenance (1x), forbearing (1x), forehead (1x), snout (1x), worthy (1x). So we could say that the behemoth might be viewed as acting in “anger/wrath”.

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “pierceth through” is נָקַב (nāqaḇ)^H5344, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as curse (6x), expressed (6x), blaspheme (3x), bore (2x), name (2x), pierce (2x), Appoint (1x), holes (1x), pierce through (1x), strike through (1x).

So we might therefore say that the behemoth could be viewed as acting in “anger/wrath” to “curse” or “blaspheme“.

NOTE: Regarding “Blasphemies”, it is worth noting what we find in Revelation 13:1-5, where the John the Revelator saw “a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” That beast was given power by the red dragon and further described in verses 5&6 as “¶And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”

The original Hebrew word that has been translated into English as “snares” is מוֹקֵשׁ (môqēš)^H4170, which has been interpreted by the King James translators variously as snare (20x), gin (3x), trap (2x), ensnared (1x), snared (1x). Note in particular these verses, 2 Samuel 22:6 (and Psalm 18:4), “The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares (מוֹקֵשׁ (môqēš))^H4170 of death prevented (went before)me;” [Please see all of 2 Samuel 22:1–51  to see this wonderful Psalm of David that points us to the Jesus’ Atonement]

Two other verses link this word for “snare” with death:

1. Proverbs 13:14, “The law of the wise [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares (מוֹקֵשׁ (môqēš))^H4170 of death.”
2. Proverbs 14:27, “The fear of the LORD [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares (מוֹקֵשׁ (môqēš))^H4170 of death.”

For more on the significance of snares in the Bible, please see: “Psalm 9:16 & Biblical Irony: Understanding God’s Temporal vs. Eternal Judgment and Justice” and “The Snare of Judgment Day“

Spiritual Perspective: The devil captures and takes away, hence controls, what he sees (mankind, starting with Adam and Eve), and in his “anger/wrath”, he “curses/blasphemes” God, as he captures the majority of mankind with the “snares” of death.

Conclusion

Whatever the specific “earthly” beast that is being described as the “behemoth” in the Book of Job, it is not the focus of this study, because it inconsequential to God’s “spiritual” purpose. In reality, the behemoth is just an allegory, given in a parable, to spiritually represent the devil and his character and powerful attributes, who God created and only God can overcome and vanquish.

It is a true mystery that God created the devil, indeed all evil…which is defined by any and all those of mankind who reject and rebel against Him…to ultimately serve God’s purposes.

Just as the devil was allowed by God to tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in the beginning of the Bible in Genesis that led the Fall of Adam (and hence all mankind) into sin, so we see at the beginning of the Book of Job the devil being allowed to put Job to the test through many harmful means. God is telling us that the behemoth was created by God to serve as a powerful adversary, just like the devil, and that only God can (and will) destroy the devil by the Sword, the Word (The Lord Jesus Christ), on Judgment Day.

In closing, please remember that the historical figure, Job, was a man described in Job 1:1 as being uniquely “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” Yet, the man Job was still a sinner in need of a Savior who said in Job 19:25, “I know [that] my redeemer liveth“. But we also can see how Job could serve as an allegorical “Type” for the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up everything to save His people for God’s Glory. And only Jesus (not Job, or any “man” from Adam) could affirmatively respond to every question posed by God to Job. Hence, from that spiritual standpoint, God was speaking to Jesus in a rhetorical fashion, hence the whole book of Job is a historical parable. For some additional spiritual insights regarding the Book of Job, please also see: “Job’s Friends“.

More verses to ponder:

Proverbs 16:4, “The LORD hath made all [things] for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” and the day of evil is “Judgment Day”!

Colossians 1:16&17, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.“

And when God told Moses to speak these words to Pharaoh, God was in fact explaining to us the role of the devil being used for God’s purposes as we read in Exodus 9:16, “And in very deed for this [cause] have I raised thee up, for to shew [in] thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.” This is reiterated also in Romans 9:17, in the context of election and God’s perfect plan of Salvation for His chosen people, “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.“

So it is neither in, nor of, man to be pure and sinless…It is not in man (including even Job) to warrant God’s favor by his own works and ways, as we read in Romans 9:16, “So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” God is entirely Sovereign over all of His creation. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

POSTSCRIPT: The Red Dragon Is Another Allegory describing the Devil, and Satan

In Revelation 12:3-9, we read about another fearsome beast, who God created, who is called the “red dragon” and identified as “the Devil, and Satan“, “¶ And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child (Jesus Christ), who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne.And the woman (the church) fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days. ¶And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought  against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which  deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.“

NOTE to the Reader: This teacher, just before posting this study on the website (New Year’s Day 2026,) had begun to read the Bible through again in a year and discovered the following: In Genesis 1:21, “And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good.” Interestingly, the original Hebrew word that is translated by the King James translators as “whales” is תַּנִּין (tannîn)^H8577, which has been translated variously in the Old Testament as dragon (21x), serpent (3x), but as whale only twice. In the “Song of Moses” (Deuteronomy Chapter 32), the same original Hebrew word in Deuteronomy 32:33, is translated as “dragons“. Moses was describing reprobates (the unsaved) and said, “Their wine [is] the poison of dragons (תַּנִּין (tannîn))^H8577, and the cruel venom of asps.” and then in Isaiah 27:1, “In that day (Judgment Day) the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent (נָחָשׁ (nāḥāš))^H5175, even leviathan that crooked serpent (נָחָשׁ (nāḥāš))^H5175; and he shall slay the dragon  (תַּנִּין (tannîn))^H8577 that [is] in the sea.”

Moreover the very same original Hebrew word, נָחָשׁ (nāḥāš)^H5175, which is translated as “serpent” in the above verse, is the same word first found in the Bible in Genesis 3:1, “¶Now the serpent (נָחָשׁ (nāḥāš))^H5175was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” So then,  it would seem that God has not only equated that “serpent” with the devil, but also the “dragon“, the “leviathan” (and even the great “whales“ תַּנִּין (tannîn)^H8577 going all the way back in Genesis 1:24)