What is the meaning of Job 26:13? By His breath - God’s “breath” pictures His personal, life-giving Spirit at work. In Genesis 1:2–3 the Spirit of God hovers over the waters and creation springs forth at the spoken word. Psalm 33:6 echoes, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.” - Job’s statement reminds us that every movement in the universe is sustained by the living God, not by impersonal forces. The same breath that animated Adam (Genesis 2:7) still animates the cosmos. the skies were cleared - “Cleared” points to order, beauty, and transparency. When God blows away storm clouds, the heavens become a display case for His majesty (Psalm 19:1). - In Job 26:7–10 Job has already listed God’s cosmic feats—stretching the north over empty space, hanging the earth on nothing, binding the waters in thick clouds—so this line continues the theme: God alone removes chaos and reveals clarity. - For the believer, clear skies picture the peace God speaks into our storms (Mark 4:39). His hand pierced - God’s “hand” stresses direct, decisive action (Exodus 15:6). He does not merely restrain evil; He crushes it. - “Pierced” conveys lethal force. Job 26:12 just noted, “By His wisdom He shattered Rahab,” a term for a primeval sea monster. The verse now zooms in on God’s final thrust. - Bullet points of comfort: • Evil may snarl, but it is vulnerable to God’s strike. • Judgment is not accidental; it is executed by the very hand that formed the stars (Isaiah 40:26). the fleeing serpent - The phrase points to a real adversary pictured as a serpent-dragon. Isaiah 27:1 speaks of “Leviathan, the fleeing serpent… the coiling serpent,” whom the LORD will slay. Revelation 12:9 identifies “the great dragon… that ancient serpent, called the devil.” - In Job’s era it also recalled the chaotic sea-monster motif, but Scripture consistently uses that image to reveal an actual spiritual enemy. - God’s victory over the fleeing serpent foreshadows the cross where Christ “disarmed the powers and authorities” (Colossians 2:15) and anticipates the day when Satan is thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). summary Job 26:13 paints a two-stroke portrait: the breath of God crafts and orders the heavens, and the hand of God crushes the serpent that would poison them. The verse assures us that the Creator who spoke peace into the sky also personally defeats every force of evil. Our place is to marvel, worship, and trust the Lord whose gentle breath sustains life and whose mighty hand secures final victory. |
    |