Job 41

Ver. 1, 2. And, to give thee another evidence of thy weakness even to contend with one of my creatures, canst thou, by a hook fastened in his tongue, nose, or jaw, draw the crocodile, or the teethed whale, out of the water?

Job 41:3-5

Canst thou force him to supplicate thy favour to let him go, or make him enter into an agreement to serve thee? or canst thou make him a mean diverting thyself and children?

Job 41:6

Wilt thou, and thy partners in catching him, make a feast upon his flesh, or part your shares of him among the inhabitants?

Job 41:7

Where is the dart with which thou canst penetrate his skin, the fish-spear that can wound his head?

Job 41:8

Touch him if thou darest; immediate destruction will prevent thy remembrance of the conflict, or repeating thy blow

Job 41:9

The hope of taking him is quite vain. The very sight of him is enough to terrify and dispirit

Job 41:10

No, not the fiercest dare awake him when sleeping, or stir him up when resting himself. Who then is able to contend with me, who am infinitely more strong and terrible?

Job 41:11

And, since every thing in the world is my sole property, who hath prevented me with favours, that I should repay them? or who, by first attacking me, hath forced me to submit to his terms of peace? —

Job 41:12

But, to take a particular view of the strength and well-proportioned parts of the monster which I have mentioned

Job 41:13

Who dare strip him of his scaly skin, or put a bridle in his mouth?

Job 41:14

Who dare open his jaws? The surrounding rows of his teeth are a terror itself

Job 41:15-17

They, as well as his scales, are closely and inseparably connected

Job 41:18

His sneezings, while he lies gaping in the sun, make a light to shine, and the water, which he spouts up into the air, reflects the sun-beams. His sparkling eyes emit a reddish and bright shining light

Job 41:19-21

How terribly hot is the stream of breath which proceeds from his mouth or nostrils

Job 41:22

In his neck strength lodges to an amazing degree. Before his face sorrow and desolation triumphantly leaves, as, without fear or pity, he destroys every animal he needs with

Job 41:23

The flakes of his flesh are, as it were, soldered into a lump of metal, which cannot be moved or easily cut asunder

Job 41:24

His heart consists of the most solid flesh; and is quite destitute of every form of compression

Job 41:25

When he appears above water the courageous mariners are prayers, expecting nothing but present death. 20-29. No sword, spear, dart, javelin, arrows, or slunged stones, can be made to penetrate his body

Job 41:30

Without hurt or pain he makes his bed on sharp-pointed rocks, stones, or pieces of ice

Job 41:31

When he breathes and tumbles about in the water, he makes it to foam and rage, as if it were a boiling pot full of ointment

Job 41:32

When he swims along he leaves the furrows behind him, all marked with froth and foam, on the surface of the sea

Job 41:34

With contempt he beholds the highest animals or loftiest ships, and brings them down with a sweep of his tail, tearing and rending them at his pleasure. He is king of all the huge and fierce-looking monsters. REFLECTIONS UPON CHAP. XII.—If I am so unacquainted with animals, how scanty must be my knowledge of their infinite Maker! If these are a terror to me, how much more ought the Almighty, and his infinite Majesty! If I could not tame or manage some one of these, how dare I presume to attempt wrestling the government of providence out of God’s hand! Surely then, above all, I must not dare to imagine him my debtor, or to interrogate him concerning his conduct. And, if my God governs these monsters, I need not to be afraid of either men or devils. But why should I indulge pride, when, after all my boastings, I am to have some ugly and ravenous monster my The book of Psalms is one of the most extensive and useful in holy Scripture, as it is every where suited to the case of the saints. It is at first much mixed with complaints and supplications, and at last issues in pure and lasting praise. That Heman composed Psalm lxxxviii. Ethan the lxxxixth, and Moses the xcth, is certain. But whether those under the name of Asaph were mostly penned by him, or only assigned to be sung by him as a master of the temple music, as others were to Jeduthan, or to the sons of Korah, or other chief musicians, we cannot determine. Some, as Psalm lxxiv. lxxix. cxxvi. and cxxxvii. appear to have been composed after the captivity to Babylon was begun; but by whom we know not. The rest, including those two marked with the name of Solomon, might be composed by David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel. Twenty-five of the Psalms have no titles at all; and whether the titles of the rest are of divine authority is not altogether agreed. But, when it is considered that these titles every where appear in the Hebrew originals, and how often they serve as a key to the psalms, and are sometimes connected with it by the accentuating points, there is no real ground to suspect their authenticity. Nor are interpreters agreed with respect to the signification of some of the Hebrew words standing in these titles. We think that MASCHIL always signifies that the psalm is designed for instruction; Psalms xxxii. xlii. xliii. xlv. lii. liii. liv. lv. lxxiv. lxxviii. lxxxviii. lxxxix. MICTAM denotes the precious or golden nature of the psalm; as xvi. lvi—lx. ALTASCHITH, that the scope of the psalm is to deprecate destruction; lvii. lviii. lix. MUTHLABBEN, that the psalm was composed on the occasion of the death of his son, or of Goliah the duellist; Psalm ix. AIJELETH SHAHAR, that its subject is Jesus Christ, the kind of the morning; Psalm xxii. JONATH-ELEM-REHOKIM, that David is therein represented as a mute dove among foreigners; Psalm lvi. SHOSHANNIM, SHOSHANNIM-EDUTH, or SHUSHAN-EDUTH, may either signify that Christ and his people, who are lilies, or lilies of the congregation or testimony, are the subject of it; or that it was sung on an instrument of six strings; Psalms xlv. lx. lxix. lxxx. as SHEMINITH denotes an instrument of eight strings; Psalm vi. xii. MAHALATH may either signify the disease, and MAHALATH LEANOTH the afflicting disease; or MAHALATH may signify a wind instrument of music, liii. and lxxxviii. NEGINATH and NEGINOTH denote stringed instruments of music; Psalms lxi. iv. vi. liv. lv. lxvii. lxxvi. NEHILOTH, wind ones; Psalm v. GITTITH a musical instrument, or tune invented at Gath; Psalms viii. lxxxi. and lxxxiv. ALAMOTH the virginals, or a song to be sung by the virgins; Psalm xlvi. SHIGGAION or SHIGIONOTH may denote the diversified matter or tune of the psalm; Psalm vii. The cxxth, and fourteenth next following, are called SONGS of DEGREES; perhaps because they were sung on the different steps of the temple stairs; or were sung at certain halts made by David and the Israelites when they brought up the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim to Jerusalem; 2 Sam. vi.; or were sung by the Hebrews at their different rests, when they came up from the country to their three solemn feasts; or were partly sung by the Jews at their different resting places in their return from Babylon; Lev. xxiii. Ezra ii. The Hebrews divided this book into FIVE, ending with Psalms xli. lxxii. lxxxix. cvi. and cl.; the first four of which are concluded with AMEN. Interpreters have attempted to range or class the Psalms into a variety of different forms. To me it appears not improper to distinguish them into I. INSTRUCTIVE; which are either (1) HISTORICAL, relating what God had done for the Psalmist, or for the Jewish nation, &c. as xviii. lxviii. lxxviii. civ. cv. cvi. cxiv. cxxxv. cxxxvi. Most of which are also EUCHARISTIC; or (2) DOCTRINAL; declaring and explaining the principles and duties of religion; as Psalms i. xiv. xv. xix. xxxvi. xxxvii. xlix. l. liii. lxiv. lxxvi. lxxvii. lxxviii. lxxxi. lxxxii. xc. ci. cxii. cxix. cxxvii. cxxxii. cxxxix.—II. PROPHETIC; foretelling events relative to Christ or his church; as Psalms ii. viii. xvi. xxi. xxii. xxiv. xxix. xl. xlv. xlvii. xlviii. lxvii. lxviii. lxix. lxxii. lxxxvii. lxxxix. xciii. xcv. xcvi. xcvii. xcviii. c. cx. cxvii. cxxxii. cxlix.; not a few of which are also EUCHARISTIC. III. CONSOLATORY; in which the Psalmist comforteth himself and others in the promises, perfections, or works, of God; as Psalms iv. xi. xxiii. xxvii. xxxi. xxxvii. xlvi. lviii. lxxiii. xci. cxxi. cxxv. cxxviii. cxxix. IV. PETITIONARY; in which he bewails his own or the church’s condition, and supplicates deliverance; as Psalms iii. v. vi. vii. x. xii. xiii. xvii. xx. xxv. xxvi. xxvii. xxviii. xxxv. xxxviii. xli. xlii. xliii. xliv. li. liv. lv. lvii. lix. lx. lxi. lxiii. lxiv. lxx. lxxi. lxxiv. lxxix. lxxx. lxxxiii. lxxxv. lxxxvi. lxxxviii. cii. cix. cxx. cxxiii. cxxx. cxxxii. cxxxvii. cxl. cxli. cxlii. xviii. Seven of these, in which the Psalmist makes confession of his sin, viz. Psalms vi. xxii. xxxviii. li. cii. cxxx. cxliii. are called PENITENTIAL. V. EUCHARISTIC; in which he stirs up himself and others to praise and thank the Lord for his favours; as Psalms ix. xviii. xxx. xxxiii. xxxiv. lx. lxv.—lxviii. xiv—c. ciii—cviii. cxi. cxiii. cxv—cxviii. cxxii. cxiv. cxxvi. cxxxiv. cxxxv. cxxxvi. cxxxviii. cxliv—cxlviii. cxlix. cl. But indeed historical narratives, doctrinal instructions, prophecies, consolations, supplications, praises, and thanksgivings, are often so pleasantly and profitably connected in the same psalm, that it is difficult to assign it to one class rather than to another. And what is HISTORICAL, as it relates to David and the Jewish church, is often TYPICAL, and so PROPHETIC, as it relates to Jesus Christ and the gospel church or heavenly state. Many, too, of the SUPPLICATIONS respecting deliverances from, or the destruction of, enemies, are to be considered as real PREDICTIONS of the