Job 41:18
in Job 41His snorting flashes with light, and his eyes are like the rays of dawn.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
KJV
By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
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This verse in Job 41
Commentary
10 notes on this verseBy his neesings a light doth shine,.... The philosopher (i) observes, that those who look to the sun are more apt to sneeze: and it is taken notice of by various writers (k), that the crocodile delights to be sunning itself, and lying yawning in the sun and looking at it, as quoted by Bochart; and so frequently sneeze: which sneezings, through the rays of the sun, may seem to shine and give light.
This site's exposition
I cannot keep silent about his limbs
on Job 41:12-21
Verse 12 opens an inventory of armor. Gill takes the bridle of verse 13 as a warhorse's gear, dressing Leviathan for battle. Delitzsch reads the snorting that “flashes with light” and the smoke “as from a boiling pot” as poetry built on the crocodile surfacing and spouting.
This site's exposition
like the rays of dawn
Clarke takes the light literally, spray from the nostrils forming a rainbow in the sun. Wesley compares the crocodile's eyes, dull under water and bright the moment they surface, like the rays of dawn. Olympiodorus read the light as the devil disguised.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Others believe that here he alludes to the fact that sneezing has the power to purify the brain; therefore, [the devil] transfigures himself into light, and even pretends to be able to purify. So [faithless] Gentiles and wizards use the devil's power in certain rites …
The Medieval Church2 voices
After the Lord describes the order of Leviathan, he next describes his powerful action. As he first described the ordering of his head and then his body, so too he first begins to enumerate the actions which belong to his head. The first and most …
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book XXXIII · Written before 604.
proposed
His sneezing is the splendour of fire. And his eyes as the eyelids of the morning. 56. This passage we expound the better, if we first enquire, how sneezing is produced. For in sneezing the breath rises up from the breast, and when it finds no pores open for its escape, it touches the brain, and, passing out condensed through the nostrils, it shakes at once all the head.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Sneesings - This the crocodile is said frequently to do. Eyes - To which they seem very fitly compared, because the eyes of the crocodile are dull and dark under the water, but as soon as they appear above water, cast a bright and clear light; like the morning light, suddenly breaking forth after the dark night.
The breath of this creature is so hot and fiery, from the great natural heat within, that burning lamps and sparks of fire, smoke and a flame, are said to go out of his mouth, even such as one would think sufficient to set coals on fire,
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
By his neesings a light doth shine - It is very likely that this may be taken literally. When he spurts up the water out of his nostrils, the drops form a sort of iris or rainbow. We have seen this effect produced when, in certain situations and state of the atmosphere, water was thrown up forcibly, so as to be broken into small drops, which has occasioned an appearance like the rainbow.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
By his neesings a light doth shine - The word rendered “neesings” means properly sneezing, and the literal sense here would be, “His sneezings, light shines.” Coverdale renders it, “His nesinge is like a glisteringe fyre.” Bochart says that the meaning is, “that when the crocodile sneezes, the breath is driven through the nostrils with such force that it seems to scintillate, or emit fire.” Probably the meaning is, that when the animal emits a sudden sound, like sneezing, the fire seems to flash from the eye. There is some quick and rapid motion of the eyes, which in the rays of the sun seem to flash fire. The sneezing of the crocodile is mentioned by Aristotle. Prof. Lee. Amphibious animals, the longer they hold their breath under water, respire so much the more violently when they emerge, and the breath is expelled suddenly and with violence. Schultens. This is the action here referred to - the strong effort of the animal to recover breath when he rises to the surface, and when in the effort the eyes seem to scintillate, or emit light. And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning - The “eyelids of the morning” is a beautiful poetic phrase quite common in Hebrew poetry. The eyes of the crocodile are small, but they are remarkable. When he lifts his head above water, his staring eyes are the first things that strike the beholder, and may then with great beauty be compared with the morning light. There is a remarkable coincidence here, in the fact that when the Egyptians would represent the morning by a hieroglyphic, they painted a crocodile’s eye. The reason assigned for this was, that before the whole body of the animal appeared, the eyes seemed to rise from the deep; see Bochart on the passage, “Hierez.,” and also Herapollo, “Hieroglyph.” i. c. 65.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עֲֽ֭טִישֹׁתָיו | ʾatishotav | sneezing<s> its | H5846 → | |
| תָּ֣הֶל | tahel | it flashes forth | H1984 → | 165 times |
| א֑וֹר | ʾor | light | H216 → | 121 times |
| וְ֝עֵינָ֗יו | veeinav | and eyes its | H5869 → | 887 times |
| כְּעַפְעַפֵּי־ | keafapei- | [are] like [the] eyelids of | H6079 → | 10 times |
| שָֽׁחַר׃ | shachar | dawn | H7837 → | 23 times |
עֲֽ֭טִישֹׁתָיוsneezing<s> its
ʾatishotavH5846 →
תָּ֣הֶלit flashes forth
tahelH1984 →165 times
א֑וֹרlight
ʾorH216 →121 times
וְ֝עֵינָ֗יוand eyes its
veeinavH5869 →887 times
כְּעַפְעַפֵּי־[are] like [the] eyelids of
keafapei-H6079 →10 times
שָֽׁחַר׃dawn
shacharH7837 →23 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 1:14The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire.
it leads to
- Daniel 10:6
His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice like the sound of…
- Daniel 7:9
As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool.…
- Revelation 19:12
He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.
- Revelation 2:18
To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.
- Matthew 28:3
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
- Daniel 10:6
Through
Job 3:9May its morning stars grow dark; may it wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn.
it leads to
- Job 30:26
But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell.
- Jeremiah 8:15
We hoped for peace, but no good has come, for a time of healing, but there was only terror.
- Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.
- Job 30:26
About Job
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XXXIII; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Olympiodorus of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON JOB 41:9 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.