What is the meaning of Job 41:28? No arrow can make him flee “No arrow can make him flee” (Job 41:28a) pictures Leviathan as unfazed by what was then the deadliest long-range weapon. • In Scripture, arrows often represent decisive human strength (1 Samuel 20:20; Psalm 45:5), yet even the best archer cannot unsettle this creature. • The scene underlines humanity’s limits; if the strongest projectile is useless, only the Creator can subdue him (Job 41:10; Psalm 33:16-17). • God’s question to Job (“Can you pull in Leviathan?” – Job 41:1) gains force: when our finest weapons fail, reverence for the Almighty is the only sane response (Proverbs 1:7). • The verse anticipates later biblical themes where God alone defeats the untamable foe (Isaiah 27:1; Revelation 20:2), reminding believers that real security rests in Him, not in man-made power. slingstones become like chaff to him “slingstones become like chaff to him” (Job 41:28b) shifts to the weapon of the common soldier, the sling. • Slingstones toppled giants (1 Samuel 17:49) and entire armies (2 Kings 3:25), yet against Leviathan they are as useless as wind-blown husks (Psalm 1:4). • The image of chaff stresses weightlessness and futility; everything we hurl at this beast simply drifts away. • God is contrasting human ingenuity with His own sovereignty (Job 42:2). Even our everyday skills—so effective elsewhere—cannot dent what He has made impregnable. • By rendering both elite and ordinary weapons powerless (compare Job 41:26-29), the Lord levels the playing field: all people, great or small, must depend on Him (Psalm 62:9; Jeremiah 17:5-7). summary Job 41:28 teaches that Leviathan is impervious to every projectile—from the elite archer’s arrow to the foot soldier’s slingstone—highlighting the utter insufficiency of human strength and the absolute supremacy of God. The verse calls readers to humility, deeper trust in the Creator, and confidence that the One who masters Leviathan can also guard and deliver all who take refuge in Him. |
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