Job 41:27
New International Version
Iron it treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.

New Living Translation
Iron is nothing but straw to that creature, and bronze is like rotten wood.

English Standard Version
He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.

Berean Standard Bible
He regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.

King James Bible
He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

New King James Version
He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood.

New American Standard Bible
“He regards iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood.

NASB 1995
“He regards iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood.

NASB 1977
“He regards iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood.

Legacy Standard Bible
It regards iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood.

Amplified Bible
“He considers iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood.

Christian Standard Bible
He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.

American Standard Version
He counteth iron as straw, And brass as rotten wood.

Contemporary English Version
and weapons of bronze or iron are as useless as straw or rotten wood.

English Revised Version
He counteth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
It considers iron to be like straw and bronze to be like rotten wood.

Good News Translation
For him iron is as flimsy as straw, and bronze as soft as rotten wood.

International Standard Version
He regards iron like straw, and hardened bronze like a dead tree.

Majority Standard Bible
He regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.

NET Bible
It regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood.

New Heart English Bible
He counts iron as straw; and bronze as rotten wood.

Webster's Bible Translation
He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

World English Bible
He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He reckons iron as straw, bronze as rotten wood.

Young's Literal Translation
He reckoneth iron as straw, brass as rotten wood.

Smith's Literal Translation
He will reckon iron for straw, and brass for wood of rottenness.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For he shall esteem iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For he will consider iron as if it were chaff, and brass as if it were rotten wood.

New American Bible
He regards iron as chaff, and bronze as rotten wood.

New Revised Standard Version
It counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the strong are humbled.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Iron is considered as straw to him, and brass is as rotten wood with a boring worm in it
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He esteemeth iron as straw, And brass as rotten wood.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For he considers iron as chaff, and brass as rotten wood.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Power Shown in Leviathan
26The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or dart or arrow. 27He regards iron as straw and bronze as rotten wood. 28No arrow can make him flee; slingstones become like chaff to him.…

Cross References
Isaiah 41:7
The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who wields the hammer cheers him who strikes the anvil, saying of the welding, “It is good.” He nails it down so it will not be toppled.

Isaiah 44:12-13
The blacksmith takes a tool and labors over the coals; he fashions an idol with hammers and forges it with his strong arms. Yet he grows hungry and loses his strength; he fails to drink water and grows faint. / The woodworker extends a measuring line; he marks it out with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He fashions it in the likeness of man, like man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.

Jeremiah 10:3-4
For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. / They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter.

Ezekiel 22:18-22
“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver. / Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem. / Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you. ...

Psalm 2:9
You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”

Psalm 107:16
For He has broken down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Daniel 2:34-35
As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. / Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

1 Kings 6:7
The temple was constructed using finished stones cut at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any other iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.

2 Chronicles 2:7
Send me, therefore, a craftsman skilled in engraving to work with gold and silver, with bronze and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with my craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.

Revelation 2:27
He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father.

Revelation 12:5
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

Revelation 19:15
And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

Hebrews 1:10-12
And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. / They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. / You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.”

1 Corinthians 3:12-13
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, / his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.


Treasury of Scripture

He esteems iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

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Job 41
1. Of God's great power in the leviathan














Iron it treats like straw
The imagery of "iron" in this verse is significant, as iron was one of the strongest and most valuable metals known in the ancient world. In the Hebrew text, the word for iron is "בַּרְזֶל" (barzel), which often symbolizes strength and durability. The creature described in Job 41, often identified as Leviathan, is portrayed as having such immense power that even iron, which humans regard as strong and formidable, is as insignificant as "straw" to it. Straw, in contrast, is a symbol of weakness and fragility, easily broken or blown away. This juxtaposition emphasizes the creature's overwhelming strength and the futility of human efforts to subdue it. From a theological perspective, this serves as a reminder of God's unmatched power and the limitations of human strength in comparison to His creation.

and bronze like rotten wood
"Bronze" in the ancient context, referred to as "נְחֹשֶׁת" (nechoshet) in Hebrew, was another metal known for its resilience and was commonly used for tools, weapons, and armor. The comparison of bronze to "rotten wood" further illustrates the invincibility of Leviathan. Rotten wood is weak, decayed, and easily broken, highlighting the futility of using even the strongest human-made materials against this creature. This metaphor serves to underscore the theme of human limitation and the awe-inspiring power of God's creation. Historically, bronze was a symbol of human achievement and technological advancement, yet even this is rendered ineffective against Leviathan. This verse, therefore, calls believers to recognize the sovereignty of God over all creation and to trust in His power rather than in human strength or ingenuity.

Verse 27. - He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass (rather, bronze) as rotten wood. Even the hardest metals are useless against the crocodile. Moderns observe that even firearms are of little avail against him. The back and tail, at any rate, resist musket-balls (Bochart); and a rifle-bullet will glance aside if it strikes one of the scales (Tristram); see ver. 15.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He regards
יַחְשֹׁ֣ב (yaḥ·šōḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2803: To think, account

iron
בַּרְזֶ֑ל (bar·zel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1270: Iron, an iron implement

as straw
לְתֶ֣בֶן (lə·ṯe·ḇen)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8401: Material, refuse haum, stalks of grain

and bronze
נְחוּשָֽׁה׃ (nə·ḥū·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5154: Copper, bronze

as rotten
רִקָּב֣וֹן (riq·qā·ḇō·wn)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7539: Rottenness, decay

wood.
לְעֵ֖ץ (lə·‘êṣ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood


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OT Poetry: Job 41:27 He counts iron as straw (Jb)
Job 41:26
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