Job 41:9
New International Version
Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering.

New Living Translation
No, it is useless to try to capture it. The hunter who attempts it will be knocked down.

English Standard Version
Behold, the hope of a man is false; he is laid low even at the sight of him.

Berean Standard Bible
Surely hope of overcoming him is false. Is not the sight of him overwhelming?

King James Bible
Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

New King James Version
Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?

New American Standard Bible
“Behold, your expectation is false; Will you be hurled down even at the sight of him?

NASB 1995
“Behold, your expectation is false; Will you be laid low even at the sight of him?

NASB 1977
“Behold, your expectation is false; Will you be laid low even at the sight of him?

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, his expectation is a lie; Will he be laid low even at the sight of it?

Amplified Bible
“Behold, his [assailant’s] hope and expectation [of defeating Leviathan] is false; Will not one be overwhelmed even at the sight of him?

Christian Standard Bible
Any hope of capturing him proves false. Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Any hope of capturing him proves false. Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him?

American Standard Version
Behold, the hope of him is in vain: Will not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

Contemporary English Version
Merely a glimpse of this monster makes all courage melt.

English Revised Version
Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Certainly, any hope [of defeating it] is a false hope. Doesn't the sight of it overwhelm you?

Good News Translation
Anyone who sees Leviathan loses courage and falls to the ground.

International Standard Version
"Look! Anyone's hope to capture him will prove itself false; anyone would be terrified just by looking at him.

Majority Standard Bible
Surely hope of overcoming him is false. Is not the sight of him overwhelming?

NET Bible
See, his expectation is wrong, he is laid low even at the sight of it.

New Heart English Bible
Look, the hope of him is in vain. Won't one be cast down even at the sight of him?

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

World English Bible
Behold, the hope of him is in vain. Won’t one be cast down even at the sight of him?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Behold, the hope of him is found a liar, "" Also, is one not cast down at his appearance?

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, the hope of him is found a liar, Also at his appearance is not one cast down?

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold, his hope was false: shall he not be cast down at his sight?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold his hope shall fail him, and in the sight of all he shall be cast down.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Behold, his hope will fail him, and in the sight of all, he will be thrown down.

New American Bible
Whoever might vainly hope to do so need only see him to be overthrown.

New Revised Standard Version
Any hope of capturing it will be disappointed; were not even the gods overwhelmed at the sight of it?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, Job, you now are set free from your afflictions. So your God will also remove your bitterness.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Now your foot is released, also God shall take away your bitterness
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, the hope of him is in vain; Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Hast thou not seen him? and hast thou not wondered at the things said of him?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Power Shown in Leviathan
8If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the battle and never repeat it! 9Surely hope of overcoming him is false. Is not the sight of him overwhelming? 10No one is so fierce as to rouse Leviathan. Then who is able to stand against Me?…

Cross References
Psalm 74:14
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.

Ezekiel 29:3
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’

Psalm 104:26
There the ships pass, and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.

Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?

Amos 9:3
Though they hide themselves atop Carmel, there I will track them and seize them; and though they hide from Me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.

Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Revelation 20:2
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Job 3:8
May it be cursed by those who curse the day—those prepared to rouse Leviathan.

Psalm 89:10
You crushed Rahab like a carcass; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

Isaiah 43:16-17
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters, / who brings out the chariots and horses, the armies and warriors together, to lie down, never to rise again; to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

Jeremiah 51:34
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies and vomited me out.

Matthew 12:29
Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

Mark 3:27
Indeed, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.

Luke 11:21-22
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are secure. / But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up his plunder.


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

shall

Deuteronomy 28:34
So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

1 Samuel 3:11
And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.

Isaiah 28:19
From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

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














Surely hope of overcoming him is false
The phrase begins with "Surely," which in Hebrew is "הִנֵּה" (hinneh), often used to draw attention or emphasize certainty. This word sets the tone for the statement, underscoring the futility of human efforts against the creature described in this chapter, often identified as Leviathan. The "hope of overcoming" in Hebrew is "תִּקְוַת הִכָּרֵעַ" (tiqvat hikkare'a), where "tiqvat" means hope or expectation, and "hikkare'a" implies subduing or conquering. This phrase suggests that any expectation of victory over Leviathan is illusory. In a broader spiritual context, it reflects the human condition of attempting to conquer sin or chaos through one's own strength, which is ultimately futile without divine intervention. The word "false" in Hebrew is "כָּזָב" (kazab), meaning deceitful or untrustworthy. This highlights the deceptive nature of self-reliance when facing overwhelming spiritual or existential challenges.

is not the sight of him overwhelming?
The phrase "is not the sight of him" in Hebrew is "הֲלֹא מִרְאָיו" (halo mir'ayv), where "halo" is a rhetorical question expecting a positive answer, and "mir'ayv" refers to appearance or vision. This suggests that merely seeing Leviathan is enough to instill awe and fear. Historically, Leviathan is often associated with chaos and the untamable forces of nature, symbolizing the limits of human power and understanding. The word "overwhelming" in Hebrew is "תַּפִּיל" (tappil), which conveys the idea of being cast down or overwhelmed. This reflects the profound impact of encountering something beyond human control or comprehension. In a spiritual sense, it serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the awe-inspiring nature of His creation, encouraging believers to trust in God's power rather than their own. The overwhelming sight of Leviathan can be seen as a metaphor for the trials and tribulations that seem insurmountable, yet through faith, believers are called to recognize God's ultimate authority and strength.

(9) Behold the hope of him is in vain--i.e., the hope of the rash man who would venture to attack him: at the sight of him, i.e., the infuriated crocodile.

Verse 9. - Behold, the hope of him is in vain; i.e. the hope of capturing or killing him. Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? The very sight of the savage and invulnerable animal is enough to make a man fall to the ground with fear.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Surely
הֵן־ (hên-)
Interjection
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

hope of [overcoming] him
תֹּחַלְתּ֥וֹ (tō·ḥal·tōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8431: Expectation

is false.
נִכְזָ֑בָה (niḵ·zā·ḇāh)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3576: To lie, be a liar

Is not
הֲגַ֖ם (hă·ḡam)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

the sight of him
מַרְאָ֣יו (mar·’āw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4758: Sight, appearance, vision

overwhelming?
יֻטָֽל׃ (yu·ṭāl)
Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2904: To pitch over, reel, to cast down, out


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OT Poetry: Job 41:9 Behold the hope of him (Jb)
Job 41:8
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