Job 41:31 — Word Study
WLCיַרְתִּ֣יחַ כַּסִּ֣יר מְצוּלָ֑ה יָ֝֗ם יָשִׂ֥ים כַּמֶּרְקָחָֽה׃
BSAit makes boilyar.Ti.ach▸ like potka.Sir [the] deepme.tzu.Lah ◂[the] seaYam ◂it makesya.Sim▸ like pot of ointmentka.mer.ka.Chah
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| יַרְתִּ֣יחַ | it makes boil | Verb, Hiphil, imperfect third person masculine singular |
| כַּסִּ֣יר | like pot | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| מְצוּלָ֑ה | [the] deep | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| יָ֝֗ם | [the] sea | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| יָשִׂ֥ים | it makes | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine singular |
| כַּמֶּרְקָחָֽה׃ | like pot of ointment | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
The main verb leads the sentence, with two objects and a simile following, creating a vivid image of the creature's power.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbH7570
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 41:31
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Description of a Mighty Creaturegenerated
Job 41:31 presents a vivid image of a powerful creature, often interpreted as a crocodile or a similar beast, that can cause the sea to boil like a pot. This verse is part of a larger passage where Job describes the wonders of God's creation, emphasizing the strength and might of this creature in comparison to the rest of creation. The imagery serves to highlight the greatness of God as the creator of such formidable beings.
Cross References
The Key Word — יַרְתִּ֣יחַ, yar.Ti.achgenerated
The verb יַרְתִּ֣יחַ (yar.Ti.ach) is a Hiphil imperfect form meaning 'it makes boil'. This form indicates that the subject causes something to boil, suggesting an active role in the action. In this context, it conveys the creature's power to agitate the depths of the sea, creating a boiling effect.
This word is derived from the root רָתַח (rathach), which means 'to boil'. The use of this verb here emphasizes the creature's ability to stir up the waters dramatically, akin to the boiling of a pot, which is a powerful visual metaphor.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree here, all conveying the idea that the creature causes the sea to boil.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb יַרְתִּ֣יחַ (yar.Ti.ach) governs the structure of the verse, indicating the action of making something boil. It is followed by two objects: מְצוּלָ֑ה (me.tzu.Lah), meaning 'the deep', and יָ֝֗ם (Yam), meaning 'the sea'. This structure highlights the action of the creature upon these deep waters.
The phrase כַּמֶּרְקָחָֽה (ka.mer.ka.Chah), meaning 'like a pot of ointment', serves as a simile, enhancing the imagery of boiling and the creature's power.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 41:31 describes a powerful creature that can make the sea boil like a pot. This imagery illustrates the creature's immense strength and the wonders of God's creation.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies the immense power of the creature being described, capable of agitating the waters dramatically.
The comparison emphasizes the boiling effect and the creature's ability to stir the depths, creating a vivid image of its power.
The deep represents the vast and mysterious depths of the sea, underscoring the creature's dominion over powerful natural elements.
It highlights God's creation and the majesty of His works, showcasing a creature that embodies the strength and mystery of the natural world.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How does the imagery of boiling water enhance your understanding of God's creation?
- What can we learn about the power of God from the description of this creature?
- In what ways do you see the majesty of creation reflected in the world around you?
- How can this verse encourage you to reflect on the mysteries of life and nature?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Gregory the Dialogist comments on this verse, using it to illustrate the power of God over creation and the life of the worldly.
He will make the deep sea to boil like a pot. He will make it as when ointments boil. 31. What is expressed by the 'sea' but the life of the worldly,Early Church Fathers on Job 41 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 41:31 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleHe maketh the deep to boil (k) like a pot,.... Which is all in a from through the violent agitation and motion of the waves, caused by its tossing and tumbling about; which better suits with the
Read John Gill on Job 41 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryHe maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot - whenever he moves. Sea - the Nile . Pot of ointment - the vessel in which it is mixed.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 41 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe deep; the deep waters, or the sea, which is called the deep, , as it is explained in the next clause. To boil like a pot; to swell, and foam, and froth by his strong and vehement motion, as any liquor doth when it is boiled in a pot. The sea; either the great sea, the proper place of the whale, ; or the great river Nilus, which is called a sea, both in Scripture, as , and in other authors, (of which see my Latin Synopsis,) as Euphrates is called the sea of Babylon, ; or lakes or pools, which are most frequently called seas, both in the Old and New Testament, as every one knows. And in such lakes the crocodiles are no less than in Nilus, as it is attested by Herodotus, and Strabo, and…
Read Matthew Poole on Job 41 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 41:31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.Ver. 31. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot] He troubleth the whole ocean, he maketh a mighty commotion in the sea, when he rolls himself therein upward and downward, and casts up water on high through a certain conveyance that he hath in his head (Plin. lib. ix. c. 3, 6). He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment] Turning it into a team, like the scum of a boiling pot. Beza rendereth it thus, He maketh the sea like a mortar, wherein colours are beaten; that is, the whirling of the water is like unto a quern, that is turned round of the painter, to temper his colours.
Read John Trapp on Job 41 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(31) The sea—i.e., not necessarily the salt water, for the Nile is still called the sea by the Arabs, and so with many other large rivers. Example, the “sea-wall” of the Thames below Gravesend.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 41 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 31. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot] This is occasioned by strongly agitating the waters at or near the bottom; and the froth which arises to the top from this agitation may have the appearance of ointment. But several travellers say that the crocodile has a very strong scent of musk, and that he even imparts this smell to the water through which he passes, and therefore the text may be taken literally. This property of the crocodile has been noticed by several writers.
Read AdamClarke on Job 41 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges31. The commotion he raises in the deep. The second clause of the verse hardly refers to fermentation in the pot of ointment, but rather to the foaming mixture of ingredients.
Read Cambridge on Job 41 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleHe maketh the deep to boil like a pot - In his rapid motion through it. The word “deep” (מצולה metsôlâh) may refer to any deep place - either of the sea, of a river, or of mire, Psalms 69:2.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 41 →The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads: יַרְתִּ֣יחַ כַּסִּ֣יר מְצוּלָ֑ה יָ֝֗ם יָשִׂ֥ים כַּמֶּרְקָחָֽה׃. This wording is consistent across the witnesses, emphasizing the creature's ability to make the deep sea boil like a pot.
יַרְתִּ֣יחַ כַּסִּ֣יר מְצוּלָ֑ה יָ֝֗ם יָשִׂ֥ים כַּמֶּרְקָחָֽה׃
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 41:31
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
רָתַח (rathach) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to boil.' It can be used in various forms: the Piel form means 'to cause to boil,' the Pual indicates 'to be made to boil,' and the Hiphil form refers to causing something to boil, as noted in a reference to a crocodile making the depths boil like a pot.
[רָתַח] vb. boil
Pi. cause to boil
Pu. my bowels have been made to boil without quiet
Hiph. (the crocod.) maketh the depth boil like the pot.
base
H7570 רָתַח
7570 rathach raw-thakh'
a primitive root; to boil:--boil.
רָתַח (ra.tach) — to boil.
1) to boil
1a) (Piel) to cause to boil
1b) (Pual) to be made to boil
1c) (Hiphil) to cause to boil
HVhi3ms — Verb · Hiphil · imperfect third person masculine singularHVhi3ms
Boil
(rendered “botch” in Deut. 28:27, 35), an aggravated ulcer, as in the case of Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:7; Isa. 38:21) or of the Egyptians (Ex. 9:9, 10, 11; Deut. 28:27, 35). It designates the disease of Job (2:7), which was probably the black leprosy.
[MEDICINE]
סִיר (sir) has meanings related to both cooking and nature, referring to a 'pot' or 'caldron' as well as a 'thorn' or 'hook.' It is derived from a root meaning to boil up, indicating its connection to cooking utensils. The word appears in contexts like Jeremiah 52:18, where it is used in reference to a pot.
סִיר n.m. et f. pot
base
[סִיר] n.[m.] thorn, hook
base
H5518a סִיר pot H5518b סִיר thorn, hook
5518 ciyr seer
or (feminine) ciyrah {see-raw'}; or cirah (Jeremiah 52:18)
{see-raw'}; from a primitive root meaning to boil up; a pot;
also a thorn (as springing up rapidly); by implication, a
hook:--caldron, fishhook, pan, ((wash-))pot, thorn.
סִיר (sir) — pot.
1) pot
1a) pot (household utensil)
1b) pot (of temple)
סִיר (sir) — thorn.
1) thorn, hook, brier
1a) thorns
1b) hooks
HRd/Ncfsa — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHRd/Ncfsa
pot: A term used as the translation of a number of Hebrew and Greek words whose fundamental meaning seems to describe them as intended for the most part to hold liquid or semi-liquid substances, but the pots of Ex 27:3 are intended to hold ashes.
(1) cir, the most common word for "pot." It designates most frequently some household utensil, probably a pot or kettle for boiling. So 2Ki 4:38 ff; Ex 16:3; Jer 1:13 the King James Version; Eze 11:3,7,11, "caldron"; 24:3,6 the King James Version; Mic 3:3; Zec 14:21, etc. It…
The term "pot" is applicable to so many sorts of vessels that it can scarcely be restricted to any one in particular. Asuc (2 Kings 4:2) the earthen jar, deep and narrow, without handles, probably like the Roman and Egyptian amphora, inserted in a stand of wood or stone. Cheres , an earthen vessel for stewing or seething. (Leviticus 6:28; Ezekiel 4:9) Dud , a vessel for culinary purposes, perhaps of smaller size. (1 Samuel 2:14) The "pots" set before the Rachabites, (Jeremiah 35:5) were probably bulging jars or bowls. The water-pots of Cana appear to have been large amphorae, such as are in use at the present day in Syria.…
מְצוֹלָה (metsolah) refers to a deep place, particularly in relation to water or mud, encompassing meanings like depth and the deep sea. It is derived from a root associated with depth (H6683). The entries consistently emphasize its application to deep areas, without notable disagreement among the lexicons.
[מְצוֹלָה], מְצוּלָה n.f. depth, deep
base
H4688 מְצוֹלָה, מְצוּלָה depth, deep
4688 mtsowlah mets-o-law'
or mtsolah {mets-o-law'}; also mtsuwlah {mets-oo-law'}; or
mtsulah {mets-oo-law'}; from the same as 6683; a deep place
(of water or mud):--bottom, deep, depth.
see HEBREW for 06683
מְצוֹלָה (me.tso.lah) — depth.
depth, the deep, the deep sea
HNcfsa — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
יָם (yam) means 'sea' and refers to various large bodies of water, including the Mediterranean, Red, and Dead Seas, as well as the Sea of Galilee. It can also denote a mighty river like the Nile and has geographical implications, indicating directions such as west or south. The term is derived from a root meaning to roar, suggesting the noise of breaking surf.
יָם 390 n.m. sea
base
H3220 יָם sea
3220 yam yawm
from an unused root meaning to roar; a sea (as breaking in
noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the
article), the Mediterranean Sea; sometimes a large river, or
an artifical basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the
south:--sea (X -faring man, (-shore)), south, west (-ern,
side, -ward).
יָם (yam) — sea.
: sea
1) sea
1a) Mediterranean Sea
1b) Red Sea
1c) Dead Sea
1d) Sea of Galilee
1e) sea (general)
1f) mighty river (Nile)
1g) the sea (the great basin in the temple court)
1h) seaward, west, westward
יָם (yam) — sea: west.
: west
1) sea
1a) Mediterranean Sea
1b) Red Sea
1c) Dead Sea
1d) Sea of Galilee
1e) sea (general)
1f) mighty river (Nile)
1g) the sea (the great basin in the temple court)
1h) seaward, west, westward
יָם (yam) — (Mt. Ephron in the) West.
This name means sea, seaward, westward
Another name of eph.ron (עֶפְרוֹן "(Mount )Ephron" H6085H)
HNcmsa — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
se (yam; thalassa; in Ac 27:5 pelagos): The Mediterranean is called ha-yam ha-gadhol, "the great sea" (Nu 34:6; Jos 1:4; Eze 47:10, etc.); ha-yam ha-'acharon, "the hinder," or "western sea" (De 11:24; 34:2; Joe 2:20; Zec 14:8); yam pelishtim, "the sea of the Philis" (Ex 23:31); the King James Version translates yam yapho' in Ezr 3:7 by "sea of Joppa," perhaps rightly.
The sea, yam , is used in Scripture to denote-- "The gathering of the waters," "the Ocean." (Genesis 1:2,10; 30:13) etc. Some portion of this, as the Mediterranean Sea, called the "hinder," the "western" and the "utmost" sea, (11:24; 34:2; Joel 2:20) "sea of the Philistines," (Exodus 23:31) "the great sea," (Numbers 36:6,7; Joshua 15:47) "the sea." Genesis49:13; Psal 80:11 Also frequently of the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:4) [RED SEA SEA] Inland lakes termed seas, as the Salt or Dead Sea. [See the special article] Any…
The Hebrews give the name of sea to any large collection of water, Job 14:11; as to the lakes of Tiberias and Asphaltites, and also to the rivers Nile and Euphrates, Isa 11:15 18:2 21:1 Jer 51:36,42. The principal seas mentioned in Scripture are the following:
1. The GREAT SEA, the Mediterranean, called also the Hinder or Western Sea. Indeed, the Hebrew word for sea, meaning the Mediterranean, is often put for the west. The Great Sea is 2,200 miles long, and in the widest part 1,200 miles in width. In many places it is so deep as to give no soundings. It is little affected by tides, but is often agitated by violent winds. The prevailing direction of the wind in spring is from the southeast and southwest and from the northeast…
→ Creation of Ge 1:9,10; Ps 95:5; 148:4,5
→ Lake Galilee calmed by Jesus Mt 8:24-26; Mr 4:37-39
→ Jesus walked upon Lake Galilee Mt 14:25-31
The Hebrew word שׂוּם (sum) is a verb meaning to put, place, or set, with a wide range of applications including appointing, establishing, and making. It can also refer to laying something upon or directing it. There is a related noun שׂוּמָה (sumah), which may denote a token of unluckiness. The entries do not present any significant disagreement.
שׂוּם, שִׂים 582 vb. put, place, set
Qal
put, set, in a place
put something upon
put, lay, set
put, c. בֵּין
set, direct
set, ordain, in a place
set, establish a law, statute
set, found a nation
set, appoint (as ruler, official)
set, constitute, make
set, determine, fix, bounds
set, station, at a post
put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars
set up altars
= plant, wheat
set, fix (countenance)
make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into
make, constitute
work, bring to pass
appoint, give
set, fix (countenance)
Hiph. I will make him for a sign
Hoph. there was set before him
base
שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl;—2 S 13:32
ref
H7760a שׂוּם, שִׂים put, place, set .. . put, set, in a place
. put something upon
. put, lay, set
. put, c. בֵּין
. set, direct
. . set, ordain, in a place
. set, establish a law, statute
. set, found a nation
. set, appoint (as ruler, official)
. set, constitute, make
. set, determine, fix, bounds
. . set, station, at a post
. put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars
. set up altars
. = plant, wheat
. set, fix (countenance)
. . make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into
. make, constitute
. work, bring to pass
. appoint, give
. set, fix (countenance)
. I will make him for a sign
. there was set before him
H7760b שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl
7760 suwm soom
or siym {seem}; a primitive root; to put (used in a great
variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially,
and elliptically):--X any wise, appoint, bring, call (a
name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider,
convey, determine, + disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap
up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out),
mark, + name, X on, ordain, order, + paint, place, preserve,
purpose, put (on), + regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set
(on, up), shew, + stedfastly, take, X tell, + tread down,
((over-))turn, X wholly, work.
שׂוּם (sum) — to set: make.
: make/establish
1) to put, place, set, appoint, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on
1a2) to set, direct, direct toward
1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)
1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix
1a4) to set, station, put, set in place, plant, fix
1a5) to make, make for, transform into, constitute, fashion, work, bring to pass, appoint, give
1b) (Hiphil) to set or make for a sign
1c) (Hophal) to be set
שׂוּמָה (su.mah) — fate.
token of unluckiness, scowl
שׂוּם (sum) — to set: put.
: put/give
1) to put, place, set, appoint, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on
1a2) to set, direct, direct toward
1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)
1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix
HVqi3ms — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine singularHVqi3ms
מֶרְקָחָה (merqachah) refers to a feminine noun meaning an ointment pot or seasoning. It is derived from the related word מֶרְקָח (merqach) and encompasses the concepts of both spice seasoning and a vessel for preparing spiced oil. The entries suggest it can refer to both abstract and concrete uses, but do not provide specific verse references.
מֶרְקָחָה n.f.
ointment-pot
spice-seasoning (?)
base
H4841 מֶרְקָחָה
4841 merqachah mer-kaw-khaw'
feminine of 4840; abstractly, a seasoning (with spicery);
concretely, an unguent-kettle (for preparing spiced
oil):--pot of ointment, X well.
see HEBREW for 04840
מֶרְקָחָה (mer.qa.chah) — ointment pot/seasoning.
1) a seasoning, compounding, spice-seasoning
2) ointment pot
HRd/Ncfsa — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHRd/Ncfsa
oint'-ment: The present use of the word "ointment" is to designate a thick unguent of buttery or tallow-like consistency. the King James Version in frequent instances translates shemen or meshach (see Ex 30:25) "ointment" where a perfumed oil seemed to be indicated. the American Standard Revised Version has consequently substituted the word "oil" in most of the passages. Merqachah is rendered "ointment" once in the Old Testament (Job 41:31 (Hebrew 41:23)). The well-known power of oils and fats to absorb odors was made use of by the ancient perfumers. The composition of the holy anointing oil used in the tabernacle worship is mentioned in Ex 30:23-25. Olive oil formed the base. This was scented with "flowing myrrh .... sweet…
(An oily or unctuous substance, usually compounded of oil with various spices and resins and aromatics, and preserved in small alabaster boxes or cruses, in which the delicious aroma was best preserved. Some of the ointments have been known to retain their: fragrance for several hundred years. They were a much-coveted luxury, and often very expensive. --ED.) Cosmetic . --The Greek and Roman practice of anointing the head and clothes on festive occasions prevailed also among the Egyptians, and appears to have had place among the Jews. (Ruth 3:2) Funereal . --Ointments as well as oil were used to anoint dead bodies and the clothes in which they were wrapped. (Matthew 26:12) Medicinal . --Ointment formed an important feature in ancient medical treatment. (Isaiah 1:6;
The alabaster container of Mt 26:7
→ SACRED
Formula for Ex 30:23-25
Uses of Ex 30:26-33
Compounded by Bezaleel Ex 37:1,29
See OIL, SACRED