Lexical Summary chabbar: Associate, companion, fellow Original Word: חַבָּר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance companion From chabar; a partner -- companion. see HEBREW chabar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom chabar Definition associate, partner (in a trade) NASB Translation traders (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [חַבָּר] noun masculine associate, partner in a trade or calling, only יִכְרוּ עָלָיו חַבָּרִים Job 40:30 will partners (i.e. those engaged in the catch) make traffic upon it (the crocodile)? Topical Lexicon Context of Job 41:6“Will traders barter for him, or divide him among the merchants?” (Job 41:6). In Jehovah’s climactic speech to Job, Leviathan stands as the untamable creature that no human agency can subdue or commodify. The single Hebrew word חַבָּר (Strong’s 2271) designates those “traders” who would ordinarily purchase, divide, and resell valuable goods. Its appearance sharpens the contrast between ordinary commercial power and the surpassing majesty of God. Cultural and Economic Background In the Ancient Near East, caravan traders and maritime merchants formed associations or guilds to pool risk, share capital, and secure safe passage. Such partnerships—whether in Arabia’s incense routes, Phoenicia’s shipping lanes, or Canaan’s marketplaces—were synonymous with human ingenuity and economic strength. By invoking these associations, the text encompasses the full weight of collective human enterprise. Even the combined resources of well-organized merchants could not claim Leviathan; therefore, God’s dominion far exceeds the world’s finest commercial alliances. Literary Function within Job Throughout Job, commercial language underscores themes of valuation and worth (Job 28; Job 31:39). In Job 41:6, חַבָּר serves the divine argument: if Job cannot exert the smallest leverage over Leviathan with the whole trader-guild at his side, how could he hope to “contend with the Almighty” (Job 40:2)? The vocabulary of trade magnifies the futility of man’s pride and the necessity of humble submission. Theological Implications 1. Sovereignty of God: Commerce represents structured human achievement, yet it falters before the Creator’s works (Psalm 104:25-26). Ministry Applications • Humility in Enterprise: Christian businessmen recognize that strategy and alliances, though prudent, must honor the Lord who alone grants success (Proverbs 16:3). Related Passages Echoing the Motif Isaiah 23:8 – Tyre’s merchants crowned as princes, yet soon humbled. Ezekiel 27:24 – Merchants of Sheba and Raamah trade luxury goods with Tyre. James 4:13-16 – Merchants cautioned against boasting apart from God’s will. Summary חַבָּר spotlights the strongest commercial coalition conceivable in Job’s world, only to demonstrate its inadequacy before God’s created order. The term invites readers to acknowledge divine supremacy, temper economic confidence with reverence, and pursue partnerships that serve eternal rather than merely temporal ends. Forms and Transliterations חַבָּרִ֑ים חברים chabbaRim ḥab·bā·rîm ḥabbārîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 41:6 HEB: יִכְר֣וּ עָ֭לָיו חַבָּרִ֑ים יֶ֝חֱצ֗וּהוּ בֵּ֣ין NAS: Will the traders bargain over KJV: Shall the companions make a banquet INT: dig over will the traders divide among 1 Occurrence |
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