Job 41 · The Lantern

The LORD’s Power Shown in Leviathan

Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or press down his tongue with a cord?

Can you put a reed in his nose, or pierce his jaw with a thorn?

Will he multiply pleadings to you? Will he speak soft words to you?

He said this because the demons asked the Lord not to cast them into the abyss, or because Satan said to Christ, "I will give you all these things." Will he now, he says, implore you with a soft speech? Will he make a covenant with you, and will he stop fighting his war against you?

Will he multiply prayers to thee, or will he speak soft words to thee? 27. Thou understandest, As to Me. For if these words are referred to the person of the Son, he spake soft words to Him Incarnate, when he said, I know Thee, Who Thou art, the Holy One of God.

Third, he shows that Leviathan cannot be mastered by the method by which man subjects man. This happens in two ways: in one way by a simple word, for example, when someone is so humbled by another that he prays to him, and he expresses this when he says, "Will he multiply prayers to you?" He may even add flattering words, and he expresses this continuing, "or will he speak soft…

Will he cut a covenant with you, that you should take him as a slave forever?

Will you play with him as with a bird, and tie him up for your girls?

Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? 30. Why is it that our adversary is first called Behemoth, afterwards Leviathan, but is now compared to a 'bird,' in ridicule at his destruction? For Behemoth, as we have said, is interpreted 'monster,' ['bellua'] and it is shewn to be a quadruped, when it is said to eat hay as an ox.

When the devil saw Christ suffering, he believed His argument had little weight. But Christ ridiculed him: "Can you play with him as with a bird? Can you put him in leash for your maidens?"

Fourth, he shows that he cannot be overcome like birds are overcome by man. Consider about this that birds are first captured with some deception by nets or bird-lime or something of the kind. To exclude this he says, "Will you deceive him like a bird," so that you master him by deception?

Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him among merchants?

Can you fill his hide with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears?

["And all the ships come together would not be able to bear the mere skin of his tail."] All the ships come together are not capable to mortify the extreme and main parts of the dragon. People using bodies or ships cannot by themselves lift a single piece of the skin of his tail.

Wilt thou fill nets with his skin, and the cabin of fishes with his head? 34. What is designated by 'nets,' or a 'cabin of fishes,' except the churches of the faithful which make one Catholic Church? Whence it is written in the Gospel, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net cast into the sea, and gathering of every kind of fishes. [Matt.

Second, he shows that man cannot use Leviathan like he uses fish which have been caught. Fishermen fill large nets with these fish with the larger specimens, and he expresses this saying, "Will you fill the nets with his skin?" He clearly says "skin" perhaps to express the method in which the very large whales are captured, who "by very long stalks which they have, bind the wha…

Lay your hand on him; remember the battle — you will not do it again.

Look, the hope of him is a lie; is one not cast down even at the sight of him?

No one is fierce enough to rouse him. And who is he that can stand before me?

"All that is under heaven belongs to me. And I will not be silent." These words indicate the devil, whose prodigious nature is described in these two beasts, who is destined to be conquered by the power of Christ when the fullness of time will come.

For who can resist My countenance? and who hath first given to Me that I should repay him? All things that are under heaven are Mine. 38. In which two verses He fully stated both the might of His own power, and the whole weight of the reason. For on account of His power He said, For who can resist My countenance?

After the Lord had enumerated the power of Leviathan, in that man cannot conquer him but only God, now he tells of his power respecting his ability to act against others. Since "there is no power unless it comes from God," (Rom. 13:1), someone could ascribe cruelty to God, in the sense that he gave such great power to so harmful a creature.

Who has confronted me, that I should repay him? Under all the heavens, it is mine.

I will not keep silent about his limbs, or the matter of his might, or the grace of his frame.

Who has uncovered the face of his garment? Who can come into his double bridle?

Jesus sanctified Baptism by being Himself baptized. If the Son of God was baptized, what godly man is he that despiseth Baptism? But He was baptized not that He might receive remission of sins, for He was sinless; but being sinless, He was baptized, that He might give to them that are baptized a divine and excellent grace.

Who will uncover the face of his garment? And who will enter into the midst of his mouth? 44. This Leviathan tempts in one way the minds of men which are religious, and in another those which are devoted to this world.

After he has said these things to remove the charge of cruelty against himself, he proceeds to describe the power of Leviathan, and first he describes his shape beginning with his head. It is said that "above the eyes of whales there are certain horns in the form of a great pruning hook.

Who has opened the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror.

Why did he not say, "Who can disclose his face?" What is the purpose of these doors? "Who can open," he says, "the doors of his face?" In order to understand what is said here, let us take the example of the actors, who wear masks not in order to show what they are but in order to show what they want to look like.

Who will open the gates of his face? In a circle is the terror of his teeth. 46. The 'gates of his face' are wicked teachers, who are called the gates of his face for this reason, because, every one enters through them, in order that this Leviathan may be seen, as it were, in the princedom of his power. For as sacred Scripture is wont to call holy men gates of Sion, [Ps.

Another author says that the whale has a large opening of the mouth "provided with teeth which are very large and very long, and two teeth especially are longer than the others like elephants or boars." Thus to show these two largest teeth are farthest out he says, "Will you open the doors of his face?" for those two great teeth seem like two doors by which the mouth of the wha…

His pride is channels of shields, shut up with a close seal.

One is joined to another, and no breath comes between them.

Each clings to its brother; they hold together and cannot be parted.

His sneezings flash out light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.

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 of purification, pretending that they have the power of the light, whereas they are entirely full of filth.

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.

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 important part of the head is the brain, whose excitement causes an animal to sneeze.

Out of his mouth go torches; sparks of fire escape.

I believe that all the impious teachers of immoral doctrines are properly the limbs of the dragon. What are the names, if you want to listen, of the limbs of the dragon? The mouth of the dragon can be metaphorically interpreted as the main limb, because all the dangerous speeches come from it.

Out of his mouth proceed lamps. As kindled torches of fire. 58. For those who look forward are called his 'eyes,' but those who preach, his 'mouth.' But lamps proceed from this 'mouth,' because they inflame the minds of their hearers to the love of misbelief, and from seeming to shine by wisdom, they doubtless thence burn with wickedness.

Third, he describes the work or effect of his mouth when he says, "from his mouth lamps go forth like flaming pine logs." Consider here that a pine log is a type of wood which when lit gives forth a pleasant odor. It is said of the whale that "when he is very hungry, he emits from his mouth a fragrant vapor like the smell of amber.

Out of his nostrils comes smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning reeds.

His breath sets coals ablaze, and a flame goes out of his mouth.

In his neck lodges strength, and despair dances before him.

"In its neck" means in arrogant self-estimation; "its strength abides," because it does not stand still but always overestimates itself. The souls that advance with a high neck (as is confirmed by Isaiah) are [like the devil's] neck, because they have the power to deceive.

In his neck will remain strength. 1. Because we bear about us a body from this world, let us consider the end of the universe, from the part of it in which we ourselves are [al. 'which we are']. For we learn more quickly of what kind is the end of the world, if we carefully consider that which we bear about us from the world.

When he has described what pertains to the power of the head of Leviathan, God moves on the describe what pertains to the power of his members. Consider that, as Aristotle says, in The History of Animals II, "no fish has a neck," except those who generate animals like dolphins. Whales also belong to this genus.

The folds of his flesh cling together; they are cast firm upon him and do not move.

His heart is cast firm as a stone, cast firm as the lower millstone.

His heart shall be hardened as a stone, and he will be bound as the anvil of the hammerer. 11. For the heart of the ancient enemy will be hardened as a stone, because it will never be softened by any penitence of conversion.

The third judgment of God is the judgment of obstinacy, namely when the heart of man can be softened neither by promises nor by threats nor by scourges nor by torments. Of such a one it is said: "His heart shall be hardened as a stone." The wife of Lot was turned into stone. I would rather that my heart were turned into stone than that it should be so hardened.

Second, he shows the reaction of Leviathan to what God does against him, when he says, "His heart will be hardened like stone." Hardness describes a natural power which is not easily corrupted by an exterior agent. This verse shows the natural power of the heart of the whale, because he is not easily corrupted by an exterior agent trying to harm him.

At his rising the mighty are afraid; at the crashing they lose themselves.

The sword that reaches him does not stand, nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin.

He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.

The spiritual weapons [of humans], he says, are unable to kill him, and [the devil] considers as straw and rotten wood those weapons that cannot inflict a lethal wound on him.

For he shall esteem iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. 19. That which above He called a 'spear,' he mentioned again below under the appellation of 'iron:' and that which He spoke of as a 'breastplate,' He again designated by mentioning it as 'brass.' For iron is sharpened, that the adversary may be wounded; but brass is hardly destroyed by any rust.

He assigns the reason for this saying, "For he will treat iron like straw," for just as a man cannot be wounded by straws and easily breaks them, so Leviathan cannot be wounded by an iron sword or spear, but easily breaks things like that. Likewise, he will consider the "Bronze," of the breastplate, "like rotten wood," which cannot resist a blow.

The son of the bow does not make him flee; slingstones are turned to chaff for him.

A club is counted as chaff, and he laughs at the rattling of the javelin.

Beneath him are sharp potsherds; he spreads a threshing sledge on the mud.

The rays of the sun will be under him. He will strew gold under him like clay. 25. For in Holy Scripture when the 'sun' is used figuratively, there is designated sometimes the Lord, sometimes persecution, sometimes the display of an open sight of any thing, but sometimes the understanding of the wise.

One should consider with fear what Job says of Behemoth-Leviathan: "He shall strew gold under him like mire." Through knowledge, temptation easily leads to ruin. "You will be like God, knowing good and evil." Wherefore some men want to search beyond the way of nature, that is, beyond contingent matters.

Nothing seems more beautiful among corporeal bodies than the rays of the sun. But this beauty does not attract Leviathan whether understood corporally or spiritually, and to show this he continues, "The rays of the sun will be under him," because he does not prize them as something great, and consequently we are given to understand that he prizes nothing else excellent among hu…

He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.

Behind him he lights up a path; one would think the Deep were gray-headed.

There is nothing on the dust like him, a creature made without dread.

He looks on everything high; he is king over all the sons of pride.

Job41

The LORD’s Power Shown in Leviathan