Job 26
1 But Job answered and said,
2 How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?
3 How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?
4 To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?
5 Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.
6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.
9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.
10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.
12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.
13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Job 26.
What is Rahab in Job 26?
Rahab here is not the woman of Joshua. The name functions as a poetic chaos-sea figure, comparable to other ancient Near Eastern imagery of divine mastery over threatening waters.
What is the 'circle upon the face of the waters'?
The phrase describes a boundary between light and darkness at the horizon. It belongs to ancient observational cosmology expressed poetically rather than to a modern scientific diagram.
What are 'the pillars of heaven'?
The phrase is poetic cosmological imagery for the stability or supports of the heavens. Ancient poetry often describes the world through architectural metaphors.
Research PathsCurated links for exploring this chapter 3
History & Daily Life1
- The Sea in the Hebrew BibleBible Odyssey
Explains the sea as a place of chaos, danger, and divine power in biblical literature. Useful for Job 26’s imagery of the waters, the horizon, the fleeing serpent, and God’s power over cosmic disorder.
Language & Literature2
- Job 26: Literary and Intertextual ConnectionsIntertextual Bible
Shows how Job 26’s cosmic imagery connects with other biblical texts about Sheol, the sea, Rahab, the heavens, clouds, and creation. Useful for tracing the chapter’s mythic and creation-poetry language.
- Job 26:12 Interlinear BibleBible Hub
Verse-specific Hebrew interlinear for God’s stirring of the sea and striking of Rahab. Useful for studying mythic-poetic vocabulary and the chapter’s compressed creation imagery.
Public Discussion
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