Chapter Overview
Summary
Job 26 is Job's response to Bildad's brief-third-speech — opening with sarcastic-thanks for Bildad's-helpfulness (vv. 2–4) and developing a magnificent doxology of-divine-creation-power (vv. 5–14). Verse 7 — 'he stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing' — is a remarkable cosmological-statement, often-cited in modern apologetics for biblical-cosmology.
Notable Variants
26:7 'hangs the earth on nothing' cosmological-statement; 26:12 'by his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he shattered Rahab' chaos-monster victory; 26:13 'his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.'
Structural Notes
MT Job 26 = LXX Job 26. 14 verses.
Then Job answered and said:
'Then Job answered and said' tracks MT.
What a help you are to the powerless! What a savior to the arm without strength!
'How you have helped him who has no power! How you have saved the arm that has no strength!' tracks MT. SARCASTIC-THANKS — Job mocks Bildad's-uselessness.
What counsel you have given the ignorant! What abundant insight you have shared!
'How you have counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge!' tracks MT.
Who are you even talking to? Whose breath inspired these words of yours?
'With whose help have you uttered words, and whose breath has come out from you?' tracks MT.
The shades tremble beneath the waters — the dead and all who dwell with them.
'The dead tremble under the waters and their inhabitants' tracks MT. THE DEAD UNDER-WATERS — Sheol-cosmology.
Sheol is naked before him; Abaddon has no covering.
'Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering' tracks MT. SHEOL-NAKED-BEFORE-GOD. Hebrews 4:13 ('no creature is hidden from his sight') extends. Revelation 9:11 (Abaddon as the angel of the abyss) Christianizes.
He stretches the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing.
'He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing' tracks MT. HANGS-EARTH-ON-NOTHING (toleh eretz al-belimah). One of the OT's most-cosmologically-precocious statements — earth-suspended-in-empty-space without-physical-support. Often-cited in modern Christian-apologetics for biblical-cosmological-accuracy.
He wraps the waters in his clouds, and the cloud does not tear beneath their weight.
'He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them' tracks MT.
He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his cloud across it.
'He covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud' tracks MT.
He has drawn a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary where light meets darkness.
'He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness' tracks MT.
The pillars of heaven tremble; they are stunned at his rebuke.
'The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke' tracks MT. PILLARS-OF-HEAVEN-TREMBLE — cosmological-imagery.
By his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he shattered Rahab.
'By his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he shattered Rahab' tracks MT. RAHAB — chaos-monster (// Ps 89:10, Job 9:13). Divine-victory-over-chaos.
By his wind the skies were cleared; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
'By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent' tracks MT. PIERCED-FLEEING-SERPENT — Genesis 3:15's serpent-defeat anticipated. Revelation 12:9, 20:2 ('the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent') Christologically extends.
These are but the fringes of his ways — a mere whisper of what we hear of him. The thunder of his power — who can comprehend it?
'Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?' tracks MT. OUTSKIRTS-OF-HIS-WAYS / THUNDER-WHO-CAN-UNDERSTAND. Romans 11:33 ('how unsearchable his judgments') extends. The verse's-modesty about-divine-knowledge is a key-theme.